


Laying Down on the Wire

by just_another_tinker



Series: Operation Brimstone [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Spoilers, Hurt Steve, Hurt Tony, M/M, Major Character Injury, Near Death Experiences, Sexual Content, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-19
Updated: 2015-05-31
Packaged: 2018-03-31 05:48:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 34,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3966733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_another_tinker/pseuds/just_another_tinker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things have been going great. The New Avengers are called to a mission where they need to rely on an old friend. Until things go wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So.... this is my first fic. 
> 
> *fingers crossed*

**BOOM!**

Debris rained down onto Steve's shield as he tried to block himself from the explosion.  _Great,_ he thought, as he dodged another rocket.  _First faulty info, then a small army, and now rocket launchers. It must be a Tuesday._

It had been months since the incursion with Ultron, and Steve finally felt that the New Avengers were getting their footing. Their training had started off rocky, what with trying to work with Wanda and Vision's powers, but the progress they've made was immeasurable. Sure, it wasn't the old team, but Steve still found himself enjoying the new kids on the block. 

For one, Clint wasn't there to be late to training. Or fall through vents. There was actually edible food around because Thor was back on Asgard. Bruce was long gone, so collateral damages had decreased immensely. And of course, Tony wasn't there to blatantly disregard his orders. Or put himself in danger. But Clint wasn't there to crack his jokes. With his easy going Iowa smile and quick wit to lighten the darkest of moods. And Thor wasn't there to charge into the harshest of battles, all while laughing at his side. Bruce wasn't there, with his quiet reserve and calming reassurances. And Tony. Tony wasn't there. To challenge him, to keep him on his toes. To treat him as Steve Rogers, not Captain America. The only one to make him feel - 

"Cap, look out!" Natasha cried.

Steve ducked just in time to avoid part of a collapsing building.  _Keep your focus, soldier._ He couldn't keep lingering to Tony now, not with the mess they’re in.  _But where is he??_

After Ultron, the best way to describe Tony was a broken man with a full retreat. He joked about starting a new life with Pepper, leaving avenging behind, but Steve knew a front when he saw it. After all, it was not too long after the Avengers moved into his tower that Tony had stumbled drunk onto Steve's floor when Pepper left him. Steve and Tony were still walking on eggshells around each other after New York, but that night changed everything. While Steve thought that Tony was all flash and no heart, he was actually more broken than himself. Steve stayed with him the entire night, letting him cry, scream himself hoarse. Then, he took Tony back to his floor, laid him in bed, and took a silent vigil over his teammate. When Tony woke up the next morning, hungover and depressed, he asked,  _"Why are you even here Rogers?"_ Steve had just walked up and handed Tony some Advil and water.  _"Because, that's what friends are for."_ Of course, it wasn't long before the too realized that once they got over trying to get under each other’s skins, they made quite a pair. Iron Man and Captain America were an unstoppable force, just as Tony Stark and Steve Rogers became inseparable. And of course, it wasn't even too much longer for Steve to fall for his best friend. Steve had lost count of the number of times he had gotten lost staring into his eyes. How they seemed to brighten up any room as Tony blabbered happily about a new upgrade. Or his hands. Steve had always thought that having artist hands was a blessing, but he didn't even compare with the hands of the engineer. How amazing it was, that those simple calloused hands can take a tiny idea, and make something as beautiful as the Iron Man suit. But his favorite was Tony's smile. Not the fake, paparazzi smiles, the ones like hardened plastic. No. They were the small smiles that Steve got when he handed Tony a fresh cup of coffee, like he was almost shy. Or the unexpected ones, where Clint would crack a joke and Tony would smile so broadly that even his nose would crinkle in amusement. But then Ultron happened. And Tony left. Sure, he was ‘just a phone call away’ but that could never fill the hole in Steve’s heart.

Speaking of which. Steve glanced down at his tracker, and sure enough, it was still blinking. Even though he wasn’t a full Avengers member now, Tony still decked them out with new tech. Not long ago, he sent Steve a ‘get out of jail card’, a tracker connected to Tony, for when he got too deep. Like now.

The Avengers had gotten tips that there were more illegal shipments of vibranium hanging around, so they had been sent out to the different locations to locate and retrieve the vibranium before it ends up in the wrong hands. The Vision, Wanda, and Rhodes were off somewhere in Asia, while Steve, Natasha, and Sam tackled the potential spots in the states.

It had taken Steve about 10 minutes to realize that their intel was wrong, and push Tony’s tracker. Their communications had been cut off from headquarters, and the warehouses where the vibranium was supposedly located were completely abandoned. Once the trio had exited the last warehouse, however, they found themselves surrounded by a small army of mercenaries. Which they still were, now.

“We’re running out of options, Cap,” Sam breathed over the comms. He was shot down from the sky about an hour ago, and was holed up, on the upper balconies of one of the buildings.

“Well maybe you just aren’t thinking hard enough,” Steve retorted. He flung his shield at the closest enemy while tackling his partner.

“We need evac, now. There isn’t any vibranium here; it was all a set up. The sooner we can get out of here, the better,” Natasha said. “I still haven’t been able to reach headquarters, so we’re still on our own. If we wait here too much longer, they’ll flank us, and we’ll be done for. You got any more bright ideas, Captain?”

“Yea,” Steve said while looking down at the tracker. “Just a little while longer.”

“We don’t have that kind of ti- shit!” Some of the mercenaries had climbed up two the second floor, pinning down Sam.

“Falcon, do you copy? Falcon! Sam!” Steve pushed his way across to the next building where he found Natasha. “Nat, go find Sam. I’ll cover you.”

“But Cap-"

“No buts, I’ll be fine. Get him, and we’ll start to pull back.” Steve grabbed the closest soldier, and used his weapon to fire on his companions. “Go!”

Natasha hopped over the crumpled buildings and dashed inside, taking down men as she went. Steve glanced down at the tracker again. _Come on Tony, please._ Using his shield as a fulcrum, Steve managed to flip a smashed car to use as cover.

Natasha’s voice filtered through the comms, “Cap, I’ve got Sam. We’re retreating through the south exit. Get out of there.”

Steve, peering over the car, saw that there was no way he could get past the horde of men to reach the south exit. But, he could buy his teammates some time. They could reach their drop zone, and connect with headquarters. “Negative, Black Widow, I’m going to have to try option B. Get to the drop zone. I’ll meet you there when I can.”

Steve began to hear Natasha’s protests, but it was blocked out by a beeping sound. _The tracker._ Steve grinned.

“Captain America. We have you surrounded. Come out with your hands up, or we will kill you,” a soldier yelled.

Steve took a deep breath. _Show time._ He strapped his shield onto his back, and with his hands up, he slowly stood up from behind the car. He could still hear Natasha and Sam screaming in his ear, but he blocked them out. He counted each of the remaining soldiers, their guns, and potential weaknesses.

“Well, well, well, Captain America. It’s funny how you claim to defeat gods, and here you are, surrendering to me,” the man sneered. “Your team has abandoned you, you have no communication, and no more flares to contact anyone. Surrender now, and make this easier for everyone.”

Steve chuckled. “No more flares you say? Out of all of the people here, who is A – wearing a spangly outfit and B – not of use?”

The soldier looked around. “What?”

“Don’t you get it? I _am_ the flare.” The mercenaries got about five seconds to comprehend before a red and gold suit blasted out from the closest building, taking out two men, and scooping Captain America up in the air.

Steve couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re late,” he gasped as they zoomed through the different buildings. They finally touched down at the furthest warehouse before the faceplate opened revealing a smirking Tony Stark.

“Fashionably,” he said with a wink.

Steve couldn’t help it; he swept his best friend in a huge bear hug. “Thank you for coming,” we whispered into the cool metal of the Iron Man suit.

“Well, you asked so nicely, I couldn’t refuse. Besides, kicking some ass with you sounded a lot better than a board meeting,” Tony beamed. Steve watched in awe as Tony’s eyes darted around the room, taking in every detail to use to their advantage. _He’s gorgeous like this._

Steve snapped out of his head, returning to his Captain America façade. "Well, minus the ones you already took out, we’ve got thirty two mercs left, all with heavy artillery, and experience.” Steve smirked at Tony. “So, let’s wrap this up, and be home for dinner. You in?”

Tony’s faceplate slid down. “For you Cap? Anything.” Steve’s heart fluttered. Turning to the east, Steve heard the army break down the doors and flood the warehouse floor.

“Let’s do this.” Tony gave Steve one final mock salute before engaging the enemy. Steve watched as Tony swooped through the air, as effortlessly as usual, his combat style as fluid as a waltz. How he was able to make a rigid metal suit flow so smoothly through the air was always a mystery to Steve.  Steve shook his head before entering the fray himself. With his new backup, Steve couldn’t have foreseen any problems.

It wasn’t long before the numbers within the warehouse began to decrease, either with a shield to the head, or a repulsor beam to the gut. Steve was almost giddy. This is how it should be, him and Tony, side by side. He turned to watch Iron Man punch someone through the wall, only to feel a sharp pain in his side.

He barely had time to gasp in pain before he heard a strangled “Cap!” right behind him.

Tony flew up, and incased him in a metal hug, blocking any other raining bullets. “It’s ok, just a graze.” Steve could already feel the serum working in his favor.

“That doesn’t make me feel any better. Come on, we’re leaving.” Tony picked up Steve bridal style, and shot off towards the roof. Only for a well-timed explosion to take out his thrusters. Both men fell back to the floor hard, luckily behind some barrels for cover.  

“Shit,” Tony whispered. He glanced back over at Steve who had already picked up another gun, and was back to the fighting as if nothing had happened. Tony rolled his eyes. “Come on, Capsicle, we need to get out of here.” He made a move to stand up only to be forced back down by the weight of the suit. “What the -?” It clicked in Tony’s mind. _EMP. Crap. Steve had said they were experienced. They must have planned for everything, and everyone._ “Shit, shit, shit, shit,” Tony mumbled under his breath as he tried to reconnect his systems. He dove into the gauntlet first; they needed some firepower.

“Tony?” Steve saw the comforting blue of the arc reactor was gone. He paled. Sure, Tony didn’t need to survive with one anymore, but still, no arc reactor, no Iron Man. This also meant to more comms for Steve. Steve saw Tony already ripping through the wires of the gauntlet. _Right, buy him some time._ But they had no time. Steve glanced down at the now empty barrel of his gun. “Uhh, Tony? Now would be a really good time for a new escape plan.”

“One second, almost there,” Tony mumbled, his fingers moving over the wires at lightning speed. “Aha!”

Steve saw the repulsor come to life, and he helped drag Tony to a standing position. He was too busy helping his friend to notice that the shooting had stopped. Once he was standing, Tony whipped his gauntlet over the boxes locked and loaded. Only to come face to face with an empty warehouse. Tony and Steve exchanged confused looks before looking around the warehouse. “Maybe they gave up?” Tony’s head swiveled across the warehouse floor before he froze. _Oh god._

 _A bomb. They left us in the warehouse with a bomb and,_ Tony glanced down, _yep, something tells me these barrels are flammable._ Glancing back at Steve confirmed that he had come to the same conclusion.

“Come on!” He yelled, only to be stopped by the dead weight on Tony’s suit. Tony looked back at the bomb, and then at Steve. _We’re not going to make it. Not with the suit down. Oh god._ “Go.” Tony pushed Steve towards the rear doors.

Tony could almost hear the gears turning in Steve’s head. “No. Absolutely not.” Steve tried to pick up Tony, but with side still bleeding, the pain was too much.

“Cap, the suit’s dead, you need to –“

“I’M NOT LEAVING YOU HERE.”

Tony looked up at Steve’s face. Open concern clouded his clear blue eyes. Those blue eyes that could get him through any storm, those blue eyes that he dreams about. Those blue eyes that won’t be open anymore if he doesn’t do something. Tony glances down at his repulsor, at the bomb, and then lastly, at Steve. “I’m sorry, Steve.”

Before Steve could reply, Tony fired his repulsor at Steve, sending him flying through the rear door. Tony collapsed back to the floor and he heard the beeping of the bomb stop. He closed his eyes.   _I’m sorry._

Steve groaned as his body was flung through the outside of the warehouse and onto the pavement. His mind finally caught up with him, and he tried to stand up. He needed to get back in there. Steve took one step before a fiery explosion pushed him back to the ground.

Steve could feel the heat scorch his face and uniform, and the debris flying everywhere. He looked up only to be faced with a collapsed and burning warehouse. Time froze.

_No. No no no no no no. Tony. TONY!_

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

An engineer’s mind is a thing of beauty.

People always talk about artists. The way they can look at a scene before them and transform it into any medium they see fit. Adding colors, taking them away, creating emotions with the flick of their wrist. Or a writer, how they can imagine the most complex of places, and be able to transfer it to a written page. But no one ever talks about what’s inside an engineer’s head.  

How they are able to look at something and not even see it at all. They don’t see a car and stop to admire the paint job, or the brand new rims it has, or even the beautiful people inside it. No. They don’t see the finished product. Engineers take one look at a car and see a network. A car is not a singular vehicle, but millions of tiny little pieces, parts of the whole, each with significant importance. How tiny gears are able to form a transmission able to control the monstrosity of the engine. Or the thin coil, wrapped snuggly with the car battery, able to spark with a high enough voltage to light the fuel. Even the small nuts and bolts that holds the cup holders in place.

But no one thinks much about that. No one thinks that the building they work in came from the mind of an engineer. Or the computer they use to email their customers. Or the bus they used to get there. Let’s not forget the bridge they used to cross on that bus. Or the elevator they used with the coffee from the coffee maker they used. Or even the spoon they used to mix the cream into their coffee. Why would they? A spoon isn’t special. Or a coffee maker. Or a building. There are millions out there, it isn’t a big deal. But it is.

An engineer can look at something as simple as a spoon and think, _beautiful._ They not only see what it is, but what it could be. How a spoon could be one day be used to cool soup off before it’s tasted, or keep coffee warm throughout the day. Hell, why not even a spoon that measures calorie intake for a meal it’s used on. The possibilities are endless: the four most terrifying words.

Engineers border on a fine line between being insanely brilliant or brilliantly insane.  Marcel Pagnol once wrote, _one has to look out for engineers – they begin with sewing machines and end up with the atomic bomb._ They’re fragile in such a way that they could make something amazing, like newest phone or the space ship. Or of course, they could end up with the Hindenburg, the Manhattan Project, _Ultron._

But that’s the price they pay, the engineer. Constantly looking for a newer way, a better way. To be able to make the decision for the next big thing, to improve humanity, to protect it. Sometimes, with ignoring the risks. Like now, for example.

It took Tony seven seconds to decide what he needed to do. One look to his repulsor, the bomb, and Steve was all he needed. He knew Steve would never leave him, but Tony wasn’t having that.

It was better this way. Tony had spent far too long being a constant disappointment. How many times had he tried to save the world, only to destroy part of it instead. Weapons making and that whole thing with Stane was a disaster, Justin Hammer and Killian Aldrich didn’t help, but Ultron? Ultron took the cake. Once Ultron was finished, Tony knew he had to stop. Take a page from Bruce’s book, and remove himself from the situation. Locking himself into his tower, alone, with nothing but his cold and empty iron shells seemed like penance enough. And dying in some warehouse? _It could be worse._

But Steve? No. _Steve was fire._ A force not to be reckoned with. A man who could wrangle the most difficult people into a team, as well as stopping world dominations all before breakfast, and not with a single piece of his perfect golden hair out of place. Tony wasn’t sure when it happened, he used to always be skeptical or America’s boy wonder. The perfect boy scout, the hero, the friend that everyone wanted, including Howard. But one day as he watched Steve yell at Clint for god know what that he realized that Captain America and Steve Rogers are not the same person.

Captain America was the slice of apple pie for the country, but Steve? Steve Rogers was flawed. Steve Rogers was just some guy from Brooklyn. Some guy that never knew when to call it quits, took things too seriously, all with an underlying, dark quipped humor. Who sometimes got too hot headed and intense about the smallest things. Steve Rogers was clumsy. Like he still didn’t realize that he now had the limbs of a human Adonis, knocking over plates and coffee mugs, or even crushing the occasional doorknob. Steve Rogers was adorable. He survived through the second world war, so in no way was he innocent, but how he was still able to flush as red as a tomato when talking with a pretty woman was incredible.

And Tony Stark? Tony Stark loved Steve Rogers. His curious blue eyes that could pierce anything more brightly than the sun. The way that they were always so open, so adoring, as if the artist was constantly memorizing the beauty in from of him. His deep sighs in exasperation, when Steve is in mother hen mode. The way he tried and failed to hide his small smile when he found himself laughing at something he shouldn’t. How he inserted himself in the holes left in Tony’s heart, and slowly filled them up with just him. So when it came down to the two of them, Tony never hesitated. Steve needed to survive.  

Tony watched as Steve was flung through the warehouse doors, before he fell back to the ground. He closed his eyes, and couldn’t help but smile. Steve was safe, and for the first time in a long time, Tony knew he had made the right decision. Steve was his last thought before he felt the heat of the explosion, the weight of the building, and then nothing.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It took Steve seven seconds to decide what he needed to do. Screw the burning warehouse; he needed to get to Tony. The injuries he got now were all superficial if he found Tony. The wounds that he’d have if Tony died, however, would kill him.

He felt the heat before he reached the building but that didn’t stop him. “Tony!” Steve cried into the broken shell of a building. With no response, Steve pushed through to where he remembered them standing. He desperately started pulling at rubble, with continued shouts for Tony, for a sign, any sign that his friend was still alive. Each moment answered only with silence was another tear to slide down Steve’s face.

 _Please please please please please,_ was a mantra in Steve’s head, paired alongside with Tony’s _I’m sorry, Steve._ He was basically sobbing as he continued into the rock pile, only to cry out in pain as a huge chunk of building collapsed along his left side. He could feel the blood gush down his arm, causing rocks to slip out of his hand. Looking back around the warehouse, Steve knew he didn’t have long before the last of it caved in. He needed to get out of – no. Steve couldn’t leave, would never leave, knowing that his heart was somewhere still below the rubble.

He continued to rip past the rocks, until he finally saw it. A red and gold incased hand. “TONY!” Steve all but sobbed in relief, and immediately went to pull on the familiar hand. He tugged until he felt a huge piece of rubble shift. Steve looked up to find that Tony was stuck under a large chunk of ceiling. Get that off of Tony, and they’d be home free.  

The serum gave Steve immeasurable strength, sometimes enough to even keep up with gods like Thor, but even he had his limits. Right now, his limit was this chuck of rock. After hours of battle, his wounds, and not to mention his emotional turmoil exploding in his head, the rubble was basically asking Steve to pick up a cruise liner. But he would do it. _For Tony? Anything._

He prepped his hands on the underside, before pushing up with full force. Every inch it budged was moved a step closer to getting Tony into his arms. His left side was on fire, not to mention the heat he felt from the actual flames surrounding him. Steve’s vision started to go white as he felt his knees buckle from the strain. _No. Not today._ Steve had let Tony slip away too many times, but no more. With one more yell of pure exhaustion, Steve flipped the rubble on to its other side, revealing the rest of the armor.

Steve collapsed on top of it, hands grasping at the side of the helmet. “Tony, can you hear me? Tony, it’s me, Steve. Come on, Shellhead, no lying around on the job,” Steve whispered into the ruined armor. “Please, please wake up.”

Another groan in the foundation told Steve that he didn’t have time to wait for an answer. He hooked his arms under Tony’s shoulders, and began to drag the dead weight of the armor out of the building. He felt his hands blistering from the heated metal suit, but he didn’t care. The weight on Tony’s suit threatened to pull him down with every step, but he didn’t care. Tony was here, with him, and Steve would stop at nothing to save him.

Steve found a grassy area in between two buildings, and deemed it far enough away from the fiery mess. Steve, gasping for fresh air, buckled under the weight on Tony’s suit and let them both fall onto the grass. _They made it._ Steve slowly pulled himself out from under Tony, and returned to the helmet. There was no time for formalities; Steve just ripped the faceplate off, only to be met with the still face of Tony Stark. He couldn’t help but think how similar this was to New York. How after the Chitauri he had seen the same face after Tony flew back from space. But how could he have known that now, instead of looking down at him with acceptance, he would look down at him with pain, love and desperation.

As soon as the mask was off, Steve immediately reached out for the skin he could touch. Pushing the sweat soaked hair out of Tony’s face, cupping his bruised cheek, anything to reassure that he was physically here with Steve, and not still lying under the building. He leaned down to see if Tony was breathing but with the suit on, it was impossible to tell. “Tony?” Steve tried again. “Tony please. You need to wake up. Don’t do this. Not here. Not to me.” Tears began to soak Steve’s face again, now dripping down his nose and onto Tony.

 _Not again, please not again._ Steve was breaking. He couldn’t lose anything else. His old life, the Howling Commandos, Bucky, Peggy, but not Tony. He couldn’t lose Tony. Steve leaned down so that their foreheads were touching and tried one last time. “Tony. Please. Don’t leave me. I need you.”

He pressed a light kiss onto Tony’s forehead and slowly sat up. Only to be faced with bright chestnut eyes and the biggest shit eating grin known to mankind.

“ _Tony?_ Tony!” Steve flung his arms around Tony, laughing in relief, hearing a small “Heya, Cap,” whispered into his ear.

Sitting back up, Steve smiled back down at Tony, torn between wanting to kiss him or punch him in the face. But it was ok. Tony was ok. They were going to be ok.

How wrong he was. 


	3. Chapter 3

“You’re ok, you’re ok, you’re ok.”Each shuddering gasp that Tony took reached Steve’s ears, cementing the realization that Tony was alive and breathing below him. Slowly, a metal hand reached up and threaded itself through Steve’s hair.

“Yea, buddy. We’re all a-ok,” Tony groaned. Steve pushed himself up yet again, finally able to get a good look at Tony. Without his brain running at a hundred miles a minute, Steve could see the bruises on Tony’s face, his pale and sweaty skin. And the suit was no better, marred and dented like it had been through a meat grinder. Steve couldn’t see any blood, so he knew to count his blessings.

“What the hell were you thinking?! Is it your goal to do something completely reckless every time you put on the suit? You’re going to give me a heart attack,” shouted Steve. When Tony tried to ground out an answer, he stopped him. _This isn’t the time, or the place. I need to get Tony out of here._ “Come on, let’s get thing off you,” muttered Steve as he started reaching for the manual overrides for the suit. He still remembers when Tony had told them to him. Ultron was everywhere, world destruction was imminent, and still, in the wake of all of that, Steve had sought out his best friend. He found Tony fiddling with his suit, but even Steve could tell he was just avoiding the rest of the team, including Steve.

_“You know, you can’t hide out here forever.” Steve walked over with a fresh cup of coffee, a peace offering for their earlier fight in the tower over The Vision. Steve could still see the pain and horror on Tony’s face after he attacked Steve. Steve knew that his face shown the same thing. He had just meant to stop Tony from creating another Ultron, he never meant for things to get so out of hand. Steve still had refused to pick his shield back up. “Come on, were getting ready to head out. The longer we wait, the more danger the world is in.”_

_Tony didn’t look up from his suit. Steve could see his hands shaking over the metal parts. He reached out and grabbed Tony’s hands. When Tony finally looked up, he was greeted with dull, broken eyes, something that Steve never wanted to see. “Why bother? Ultron is going to kill us all. The team will die, innocents will die, YOU will die, and do want to know why? Because I can’t seem to make anything other than weapons of mass destruction!” Tony shouted, ripping his hands out of Steve’s._

_Steve waited a few moments for Tony to cool off before he continued. He looked down into his hands. “You know that’s not true.”_

_Tony whipped around. “What, you don’t think this is my fault? I saw it in your eyes Steve, I know what you’re thinking.”_

_“You don’t know what I think,” Steve interrupted, walking towards him. “What I think, is that you’re wrong. You see nothing but the destruction you’ve caused. You know what I see? Someone who will stop at nothing to protect his team, to protect the world. A man who has laid down on the wire for me so many times, I’ve lost count. I see an unrelenting storm of brilliance, one that no matter how many times he gets kicked down, he rises back up better and stronger than ever. I see a hero, and my best friend, one whom I trust my life with. Although you can’t, I see you Tony, the real you.”_

_Steve stopped right in front of him, where Tony stood frozen, gaping at him. His mouth opened several times, but it seemed that nothing could get him to form the correct words. “And I’m sorry, for earlier. I couldn’t… I can’t… Tony, I could have hurt you. And I will never forgive myself for that. I wasn’t thinking, I was so scared, I just…” Tears threatened to spill down Steve’s cheeks._

_He stopped when he found himself with an armful of engineer. “I saw you,” Tony whispered into Steve’s chest. “In Wanda’s vision, I saw you, the team. They were all dead, and you… you,” Tony shuddered, “you died in my arms. Said it was my fault. That I could have done more.” Steve’s breath caught in his throat. “I thought Ultron could protect us, prevent that from happening, but what if making Ultron is the decision that leads me down that path? I can’t be responsible for that Steve. If any of them, if you died, Steve, I couldn’t- .” Steve squeezed his eyes shut and tightened his hold on Tony. He pulled back just far enough to look down at Tony’s red rimmed eyes._

_“Now you listen to me. I’m still here, the team’s still here. And I don’t know about them, but I don’t have plans of going anywhere. The Tony Stark I know isn’t going to face this lying down. You’ve made your bed, now it’s time to go and kick its ass.”_

_Tony snorted. “Language, Cap.”_

_“I know, I know, it just slipped out,” grinned Steve. “Now come on, something tells me Ultron doesn’t like to be kept waiting.” Steve began to step away before Tony pulled him back to the lab table._

_“No wait. Take this. Read this. Remember this,” he said, handing Steve a strip of paper covered in Tony’s familiar scrawl._

_“What is it?”_

_Tony sighed. “Ultron basically has control of all technology, which my association, means that he can potentially control me. I’m not going to take any risks this time.” Steve looked down at the paper, his identic memory already storing the information. “They’re verbal overrides to the suit. It something happens, and I can’t get control of the suit, you can stop me before I end up hurting someone. Also,” he dragged Steve over to his suit, “there are manual overrides. Here, in the seams of the suit, are latches that will help get each part off me. I figure someone else should know, in case something goes wrong.”_

_“Yea, but why me?” Steve asked, blue eyes open and wide._

_“Because,” said Tony, “you’re a hero, and my best friend. One whom I trust my life with.”_

Steve would never forget what Tony told him. Later on that fateful day, the Avengers were able to defeat Ultron, and Steve never did have to use the overrides, which he was eternally grateful for.

Now, he was never more grateful that he could use them. He tried to take off every piece as gently as possible, knowing each jarring movement he made with the suit was hurting Tony. Each groan and whimper broke Steve a little more. “Almost done Tony, just a few more,” Steve promised. Each piece revealed more of Tony, which also meant more ripped undersuit and bruises. Steve glanced up at Tony when he finally took off everything but the chest plate. He pulled slightly, but it didn’t budge. Some of the metal must have fused together from the heat of the explosion.

“Come on, rip it off. Just like a Band-Aid,” grimaced Tony.

“You sure?” One small nod from Tony, and Steve was ripping off the last piece of armor. As soon as it budged free, however, Tony gasped in agony. Steve dropped the chest plate, reaching for Tony. “Tony?! Tony, what’s wrong?” Steve said desperately, looking at Tony’s face, eyes squeezed shut in pain. Tony groaned again, before opening his eyes just wide enough to look down to his chest.

Steve followed his eyes, looking to where – “Oh god.” _What have I done._ The chest plate wasn’t stuck from being fused together, it was stuck because part of the suit had broken and pierced into Tony’s lower abdomen. The metal must have snagged and buried into Tony’s soft flesh. The metal that Steve had just torn out of him.

Steve’s mind went into overdrive. He immediately put his hands over Tony’s wound, causing him to receive a pained hiss from his friend. He watched in horror as blood started to seep between his fingers and onto his hands. _This isn’t working_. Steve grabbed at Tony’s hand and pushed them to his wound. “Here, Tony, work with me. Keep the pressure on.” Steve stripped off the top half of his uniform, and shred his under armor shirt, and then pressed that to Tony’s stomach.

“If I would have known that this was all it took for you to take your shirt off Cap, I would have done this ages ago,” Tony joked weakly.  

“Stop talking Tony,” quipped Steve not even looking up from his work. With one hand keeping pressure on the wound, he reached with his other further down Tony’s body to tear off part of his undersuit from his leg. Satisfied with the long strip he had drawn off, he pushed it over and around Tony, and tying it tight, securing Steve’s under shirt to the wound. _He needs medical, yesterday._

Steve looked back up at Tony, distressed blue eyes taking in his pain filled gaze, and the fresh sheen of sweat covering his face. “Tony, look at me. We need to move, ok? I’m going to get you out of here. I promise.”

Tony started to answer, only to be cut off by a coughing fit, ending with a few droplets of blood on Tony’s face. Steve paled even further. _This cannot be happening._ Steve frantically looked to the tree line, trying to get his bearings, finally locating the direction he sent Natasha and Sam in. “I’m sorry, but this is going to really hurt.”

Steve reached down, and pulled Tony up next to him, supporting most of his weight. Tony cried out in pain, and his legs buckled, but Steve held on to him firmly. “Shhh, shhh, I know. I got you, I won’t let go. I’ll find help, don’t worry. I won’t let you down,” Steve whispered to Tony, although part of him knew that he was trying to reassure himself.

They took a few steps before Steve remembered the suit. He was about to go back before he heard Tony say, “Leave it. We’ll come back for it. It’s useless anyway.”

They stumbled to the edge of the forest, only for Steve to stop. Tony looked up to him with a slurred, “What is it?” Steve only shushed him again, and looked back to the warehouses. _Something’s out there._ Something more than the groaning of support beams, and the crackling of the fire. No, this was the sound of car engines. And since Steve knew it wasn’t coming from the direction of the drop zone, it only meant one thing: trouble.


	4. Chapter 4

Steve pulled Tony behind the nearest trees, and sat him down on the ground as gently as possible. Peering back out, he saw two Jeeps each with five armed men pulled up to the wreckage of the warehouses. _How could I have missed this?_ It actually wasn’t all surprising; his mind had been filled with saving Tony, that he had forgotten about the missing men from the warehouse. Apparently they hadn’t forgotten about them.

 _Ok, think. Tony is the main priority._ Steve could see the men start to look for the wreckage. Hopefully by the time they reached Tony’s abandoned armor, they would be deep into the forest. And besides, there weren’t that many; Steve was sure that even if they reached the forest, he and Tony could slip by undetected. But another moan from his fallen friend stopped him.

Steve has never seen Tony look this bad, and he’d thought he’d seen plenty. Tony had his eyes shut most of the time, but when they did open, they were so glazed over Steve wasn’t even sure Tony was completely aware of everything. The makeshift bandage wasn’t holding up either, with traces of blood peeking through the white undershirt. A soft rain had started making Tony tremble even harder, but Steve was still convinced that most of the moisture on Tony was pure sweat.

Steve unstrapped his uniform top again, and gingerly wrapped it around Tony’s shoulders, gently stroking his face with his knuckles as he did. _Wait,_ Steve startled, looking back to the soldiers. _The Jeeps._ If Steve could get his hands on one of those, he and Tony could get back to the team sooner. The sooner they get there, the sooner Tony gets help. Not to mention, Tony would be able to rest in the back instead of stumbling in pain through a treacherous forest. _And besides, what’s ten more soldiers to Captain America?_

Minds made up, he crouched back down to Tony, gently tugging on his chin so they made eye contact. “Listen to me; I’ll be right back, ok? I just gotta take care of something real quick.” Steve pressed a gun into Tony’s hand, just in case. Steve could see Tony slowly comprehend what was happening before he darted forward and grabbed Steve’s arm.

“Wha? No, no stay. Just – just give a sec, and we… we can start moving again,” Tony stammered, trying to push himself up with no avail. With a gentle shove from Steve, Tony ended up leaning back against the tree.

“Tony you can barely function right now, I need to get us a vehicle; we need to get out of here,” Steve protested. “I’ll be gone ten minutes, just please, _please,_ don’t do anything stupid.” Tony gazed right into Steve, his eyes conveying only fear. Not for him, but for Steve.

“But- ”

Steve shushed him and stood up. “I promised I would get you out of here, and I don’t plan on breaking it.” Steve began to walk back to the tree line when he stopped. Looking back, he still saw Tony, looking at him with unparalleled desperation, still conveying _stay with me._ Any other day Steve would rush back to him, and cradle Tony in his arms, blocking out the world forever, but he needed to do this.

But still, Steve turned back on his heels and went back to Tony. _I need to do this too._ Before Tony could say anything, Steve smashed their lips together. Steve had planned their first kiss many times. Of course he had never planned to act on them; they were just unspoken dreams in Steve’s head. He’d take Tony on a stroll through Central Park, and gently kiss him below his favorite sketching spot. Or he’d press against Tony after a lovely dinner, or embrace him tiredly after a long mission. No matter how or when, Steve would cup Tony’s face and hold him like the precious thing he was, closing his eyes, as fireworks exploded when their lips connected.

But this kiss was nothing what he had imagined. There were no fireworks, no moment where everything clicked into place, where time stopped. No, this kiss was nothing like that. This kiss was dirty; a harsh press of Steve’s full lips to Tony’s chapped ones. Something to convey every emotion running through Steve: dread, desperation, love. Steve didn’t taste Tony’s minty toothpaste, of even his fancy coffee, just grime, sweat, and blood. It was perfect _._ Steve could hear Tony’s harsh intake of breath, before he felt Tony push his lips back to him. Steve could have stayed there forever, _wanted_ to stay there forever. But just as he felt Tony try to deepen the kiss, Steve pulled back, his heart breaking after he heard a small whimper from Tony who was still trying to chase his lips.

Steve caressed his face one last time, pressing his lips to Tony’s forehead. “I’ll be right back, I promise. We’re not finished here.” Tony’s lips formed a weak smile, and Steve stood up and took off into the darkened forest.

\-------------------------------------------------

Tony’s mind was in overdrive – _nope, make that shorted out._ He brought a shaking hand up to his lips; they were still ablaze from where Steve molded his mouth against him. It was everything Tony had dreamed off. Steve’s lips had been soft, but at the same time, as unyielding as his vibranium shield. Tony wanted nothing more than to melt into his arms, be bracketed safely in that strong chest, while Steve whispered sweet nothings into his ear.

But Steve had gone, leaving Tony to shiver in the misty night. He burrowed farther into Steve’s uniform and couldn’t help but snort. Somewhere out there, Captain America was taking down hostiles with a patriotic Frisbee and no shirt. _My kingdom for a camera,_ mussed Tony. Tony startled to chuckle again, quickly turning into another groan as he grasped his stomach.  

Part of Tony’s pain addled mind thought that none of this had actually happened. That Steve couldn’t possibly care for him, and that he was going to wake up still under the rubble of that warehouse. Or worse, he could wake up cold and alone in his empty tower. But Steve had felt so real, so alive. He glanced back to where Steve had left.

 If he strained hard enough, he could here shouts, and a clang of a shield. Tony smiled. By the sounds of it, Steve would be back soon. He’d get a vehicle and then they’d –

**BANG!**

Tony froze. He knew that sound. The sound of a bullet whizzing from the barrel and into the open air. What was worse was that it wasn’t from a gun he had heard yet. No, Tony knew weapons. All of the soldiers were using semi-automatics, nothing that could make that noise. This meant there was someone else out there, someone they didn’t account for. _A sniper._

Tony’s blood ran cold. A sniper hidden in a forest could literally be anywhere, and the warehouses were out in the open, and _Steve was out there._ Tony paused his internal anxieties and listened. _It’s quiet._ There were no more shouts, no more shots, and worst of all, there were no more whirs made by a familiar shield.

“Oh god.” Despite the biting pain and the pounding in his ears, Tony managed to pull himself to a standing position. Using the trunks to support his weight, he managed to push himself from tree to tree.   _Steve wouldn’t have gotten shot, Steve’s smart. He’s survived fighting snipers before, and besides he’ll be somewhat protected, he –_ Tony glanced down. _He does NOT have his armor on._

Tony started gasping, fear and anxiety taking over his mind. _Steve’s dead. Steve’s dead and it’s all my fault._ His head was pounding, disorienting Tony even further. While stumbling madly through the forest, he missed an upturned tree root, and fell to the ground with a hard thud.

His vision went white. For the second time today, he felt himself start to drift away, and for the second time today, he let his mind float back to Steve. Only this time, nothing but shattered dreams and despair filled his head.

\-------------------------------------------------

Steve took off sprinting until he reached the edge of the tree line, his lips still tingling from their fierce kiss. Steve cleared his head; the faster he got to the car, the faster he could get back to Tony. Before him, nine men were circling the destroyed warehouse. A few shouts and the rest of the men headed to the far side. _They must have found Tony’s armor._

Steve had waited long enough. With the men distracted by the armor, Steve took off, crossing the open field before reaching the outskirts of the building. Grabbing a rock, he tossed it by some of the soldiers, getting their attention. Once three of them tore away from the main group, Steve gave chase.

Despite his large size, with Natasha’s training, Steve was sneaky when he needed to be. One by one, he picked off the three men with some well-timed jabs and without alerting the rest of the group. _Six left._ Steve looked over to where the rest of the mercs remained, only to see them point to the forest. _Time to finish this._

Ignoring his previous methods, Steve pounced on the nearest man, while throwing his shield at another. Standing up to make another move, Steve felt another sharp pain in his arm. _What the hell?_ Steve looked down to find another had hit him and _shit. Tony has my armor. Time to get a new set._

Reaching down, Steve grabbed the fallen soldier and used him as a blockade. Then, by grabbing a dropped gun and soon Steve found himself the only one left standing. Depositing his human buffer back on the ground with his companions, Steve picked up his original shield and made his way to the Jeeps. Finding the keys still in the car, Steve moved to start the engine when –

**BANG!**

****Instinctively, Steve ducked behind the vehicle. _A sniper? Since when was there a sniper?_ Steve was about to peek back out when he stopped himself, looking back to the other fallen soldiers. _Nine of them._ There were ten when they pulled up, Steve was sure of it. The tenth man must have slipped away when he was still with Tony. Which meant he was still out there. With a sniper rifle. His eyes frantically searched from where he heard the bullet, but there was nothing out there but trees. The forest. _Where Tony was._

Steve took off sprinting. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the lovely comments, keep them coming! This story has basically just taken off, so hopefully you'll all stick with me to the end!


	5. Chapter 5

Halfway across the field, Steve realized that he didn’t even grab a Jeep. But with a sniper running around, Steve wasn’t about to alert him of his presence. He tore through the beginning of the forest like a bat out of hell, only thinking about Tony. If a soldier had torn away from the main group, he could have easily found Tony immobilized within the trees.

Steve pictured a cold and broken Tony bleeding out alone in the forest, and shuddered. _No, he was fine. He had to be._ Steve reached the spot where he left Tony and stumbled to a halt. Tony wasn’t there. _WHERE WAS HE?_

Steve’s breathing quickened as he searched the nearby trees, with a few whispered “Tony!”’s. _Calm down._ Maybe Tony had heard the tenth soldier and made an escape. Looking back to the ground, Steve found a small trail of blood. Following the smudges left of the ground and some of the trees it wasn’t too long before he found Tony, collapsed in a small heap, facing away from Steve.

“TONY.” Steve ran over to him, and dragged his limp friend into his lap. Snaking his hand around Tony, Steve pressed his fingers to his pulse point. Finding a weak pulse and no bullet wounds, Steve sobbed into Tony’s neck. The sniper hadn’t found him. It didn’t solve their current problems, but for now, they were together and alive.

Keeping a frail Tony cradled against his chest, Steve tried to formulate a new plan. He looked down at Tony and saw a new gash on his head that must have gotten from the fall he took, as well as another matching bruise. Steve didn’t need to be a doctor to tell that his stomach wound was probably still leaking as well.

With everything that had happened, Steve had lost his sense of direction, and the rain clouds blocking the stars didn’t help either. _Find your way back to the Jeeps._ With luck, the sniper had moved on further into the forest instead back to the warehouses, and Steve could avoid him entirely.

Standing up, Steve picked up Tony bridal style and shifted him into a position that didn’t aggravate Steve’s wounds. He heard a small whimper from Tony, so Steve bent his head, nosing at Tony’s cheek and giving it a quick kiss. “It’s ok, Tony. I’m here. I’ve got you.” Tony remained unconscious, but didn’t make another pained noise, so Steve took that as a go ahead to begin their trek.

It took a little longer to rediscover the clearing; Tony’s sidetrack had put them off course, but eventually Steve was able to find wreckage. Even with the slight rain, the collapsed warehouse was still on fire. Steve couldn’t help but think of how fast everything had gone downhill. _How long have we been out here? Where was Natasha, or Sam? They should have made it to the drop zone by now._ Another pang of worry filtered through Steve, as he reached the edge of the clearing.

Steve listened. Leaves were rustling in the wind, paired alongside the droplets of rain hitting the Earth’s surface. _No sniper. Or he just wants me to think that._

Steve knew the determination of a sniper. How Bucky would find a perch, and stay put for hours when the Commandos were on a mission. How he wouldn’t leave until every one of his marks was taken care of. Sometimes Steve would even forget he was out there, Bucky was so still. Only the occasional savior bullet reminded Steve that his brother in arms was out there somewhere, a guardian angel watching over him.

The marksman could be watching them right now, just waiting for Steve to take the first step into the clearing. Not a single muscle moving except for a small twitch of a finger to bring down both him and Tony. In a waiting game with a sniper, Steve knew he was bound to lose.

The first shot had come from the east, meaning that the sniper was either still there, or had followed Steve down to the south to find Tony. That meant their safest bet was to head to the northwest; there was no way the sniper could have made it all the way over there, the distance was too vast. Unfortunately, that meant taking the road the soldiers had come from, but Steve was out of options. He would rather take on another horde of men he could see, instead of facing one elusive gunman.

 _Fuck it._ With one last gaze at Tony, Steve charged across the field, sprinting to the Jeeps. He pulled Tony closer into his chest to avoid bouncing him around so much, all while pushing his legs to go further. _Almost there._ Not even stopping to take a breath, Steve laid Tony in the backseat, resting his shield over him in hopes to protect Tony just a little more. Steve then hopped to the front seat, grabbing the keys that he had dropped there the first time, started the engine, and took off, wheels spinning madly through the mud.

The Jeep sped down the road, Steve trying to avoid bumps and divots all while keeping his eyes scanning the trees. It took no time before they reached the edge of the clearing on the north side, but Steve didn’t stop. Knowing how far a scope could reach, especially with an experienced sniper, they were no closer to being safe.

Steve did however, slow down. They were in an unfamiliar area, and the fact that the mercenaries had come down this same road had Steve on his toes. Minutes later, they came to a turn, with thick trees barring sight back to their starting point. Satisfied, Steve slowly pulled off to the side of the road and into the foliage, effectively blocking the Jeep from all angles. Turning the engine off, Steve crawled to the back seat.

He leaned over Tony, still content with the pulse that greeted him. “Tony? Tony, come on, wake up. We’re safe now.” Tony crinkled his nose, but didn’t wake up. Steve responded by shaking him on the shoulders and patting his cheeks. “Tony, wake up,” he said more firmly. With his new head injury, Steve was worried he may be concussed. _If the explosion didn’t already give him one._

With one last harsh tug against his shoulder, Tony’s eyes snapped open, mouth gasping for air. Steve could see his eyes dart wildly around, trying to grasp his surroundings before they landed on Steve.

“ _Steve?”_

Steve smirked, “Hey, Shellhead.” Steve stopped smiling when Tony paled even further, taking a shaking hand and pressing it to Steve’s face, looking like he had seen a ghost.

“You’re alive, _oh god,_ you’re alive! I- I thought… and there was a shot… and you- you were… and the shield! There was no- no…,” Tony trailed off with a shuddering breath and let his hands continue to roam his face as if to solidify the fact that Steve was alive and breathing.

Steve couldn’t help but chuckle at Tony’s blabbering. The fact that he could act like he normally does it the midst of all this chaos warmed Steve’s heart. Grabbing Tony’s hand and peppering them with kisses, Steve responded, “Yes, there was a shot, but it wasn’t aimed at me. I came back for you, and got us to the Jeep. I’m fine, I promise. Here.” Steve took Tony’s hand and laid them over his bare chest so Tony could feel his strong heartbeat.

Tony closed his eyes, sighing in relief. He looked back up at Steve with a new intensity and said, “ _Don’t do that to me again._ ”

Laughing again, Steve pressed their foreheads together. “Pot, meet kettle.” When he felt Tony huff beneath him, Steve couldn’t help but grin, and finally felt his body relax. They were safe, for now.


	6. Chapter 6

Steve had lost track of how long they laid there. Soon after waking Tony, he pulled him flush against Steve’s chest, hoping his extra body heat would warm him. Wrapping one arm protectively around Tony’s wound, and the other stroking Tony’s hair, Steve finally felt his frantic heart beat slow down. Steve kept asking Tony simple things, like what new armor upgrades he could think of, anything that would keep Tony conscious and aware.

“- with this new design. It’s a bit risky, but it’d increase thruster capabilities by at least 12%. I’d have been able to get to you sooner. Could you imagine if- ,” Tony froze in Steve’s lap.

Shaking from his comfortable headspace, Steve leaned forward with concern. “Tony? Tony, what’s wrong. What’s hurting?” But Tony put a hand over Steve’s lips, before pointing out of the Jeep.

“Steve. What is that?” Following Tony’s finger, Steve looked into the night. Back on the road, not 50 feet where they had pulled off, was a large mound. _An animal?_ The last thing they needed was a wild animal attacking them.

Steve slowly peeled himself away from Tony, grabbing his shield. “Stay here.” He added, “I’ll be fine,” when he saw Tony reach back out for him. Steve approached slowly, shield at the ready. He stopped short as the mound revealed itself. _The tenth soldier._

Crouching down next to the body, Steve saw a bullet hole precisely in his heart. Peering back around at his surroundings, he thought, _how did he even get here?_ Thoughts buzzed through his mind at the speed of light. The bullet, was it from the sniper? If this was the tenth soldier than who was the sniper? Steve stilled. _A third party. Maybe the tip about the vibranium had been right._ Somebody else out there searching for the vibranium was not good news. Who knows who else is out there besides the sniper. And if he made a kill shot from here, he and Tony were definitely not safe.

Steve, lost in his own head didn’t hear Tony limp up beside him. “Holy shit. Where the hell did he come from?” Steve pulled Tony off to the side of the road.

“The sniper. Remember the shot? He wasn’t shooting at us. He was shooting at the soldier. Tony, do you know what this means? There could be someone else out there, a new player. We need to leave. Now.” Steve started dragging Tony back to the Jeep, but Tony refused to budge.

“That’s a hell of shot, don’t you think?”  Steve looked back at the body, and tried to follow the bullet’s trajectory. The huge thicket of trees in front of them covered them heavily, with maybe a few square feet of open spots. And even then, the marksman would have to account for the rain and open wind as the bullet crossed the entire open field, not to mention the bullet would have to miss all of the warehouses.

“What are you saying?”

Tony smirked. “I think I know who our third party is.”

\---------------------------------

_Clint Barton stared at the mess in front of him. *Alright Clint, you’ve managed to remodel the rest of your house, a crib should not be any different.* But when looking at the wooden monstrosity in front of him, he knew there was no hope._

_Sighing, he picked up the hammer. *Just like Thor; I got this.* Just as he brought the hammer down, a shrill ringing of his cellphone startled him, causing him to miss the nail and hit his finger._

_“Son of a bitch!” Clint shouted, immediately clutching at his digit. A gurgling laughter across the room grabbed his attention. Clint glared at his newest son Nathaniel, sitting in his high chair. “Well, at least we know your middle name suits you. Already a little shit.”_

_Another ring of his phone drew him away from his son, and across the room. He looked at the caller ID, sighing yet again while pinching his nose._

_“No,” he answered._

_“Aww, come on birdbrain, you don’t even know what I’m going to say!”_

_“I don’t need to know, Stark. I’m not interested.”_

_He heard Tony chuckle across the line. “This is serious. I need a favor. Well, Steve and the New Avengers need a favor.”_

_Clint stopped, instantly changing into Avenger mode. “What’s the situation?”_

_“I’m not sure. Cap’s emergency beacon went off, but I can’t patch through to their comms. You still have that quinjet that no one is supposed to know about?”_

_Clint looked out the window and past his barn. “No.”_

_He could feel Tony smirk through the phone. “Ok, good. Sending you coordinates now. I might need another eye in the sky.”_

_Clint hung up and looked back at Nathaniel. “Well, so much for father-son bonding time. Laura! We’ve got a problem!”_

\------------------------------------

Clint Barton stared at the mess in front of him. “What fresh hell is this?” Touching down a few miles off Tony’s given coordinates, Clint had trudged through a dense forest. Tony had stopped answering his calls a while ago, and it put Clint on edge. A nervous Clint Barton was not a good thing. He bit his fingernail while looking down at his pack, making sure that he had prepared, for well, everything. Not knowing what he was walking into, Clint had basically packed his entire arsenal. As prepared as he was, Clint knew his back was going to hate him in the morning.

 _What the hell am I supposed to do now?_ Sprawled out before his eyes was pure chaos. Abandoned warehouses that have definitely seen better days adorned an expansive open field in front of him. Not to mention the one where it looked like a bomb went off in it. _Hell, knowing the team’s been here, a bomb probably did go off._ Seeing no sign of any teammates, Clint continued farther north to get a better view.

Hearing the sound of voices, Clint ducked behind the closest bush. Through the foliage, he could see a few men flagging down two Jeeps.

“The EMP worked like a charm. Looks like none of them made it out before the bomb went off. Take the Jeeps down and grab the bodies,” a soldier said to one of the drivers.

Clint went stiff. _EMP? Not good. Definitely not good._

The driver just nodded and the two Jeeps took off, continuing to the warehouses. Which left Clint with the eight foot soldiers. He snorted. _Easy._

Not moments later, the eight soldiers lay immobilized at his feet. “I swear, it’s like you weren’t even trying,” Clint mussed, searching one of the soldiers pockets. _A radio? Score._ Looking around with his newly acquired item, Clint took off running down the road. _If what the soldiers said is true, I need to get down there. The team could be in danger._

Clint hugged the tree line, using the opaque forest to his advantage. Reaching further east, he saw the rest of the soldiers from the Jeeps looking down at – _Shit. That’s the Iron Man suit. If that’s Iron Man, where’s Tony?_ Clint looked past the soldiers at the burning warehouse and froze. _Oh my god._

Clint’s heart was pounding so heart in his chest, that he almost missed the crackling of the radio.

_"They’re not here. We checked the rubble, but the Iron Man suit is out here, so they must have survived. We’re going to start sweeping the forest. Get down here, now.”_

Clint breathed a sigh of relief. _Those lucky sons of bitches._ Laughing to himself, he continued east. If Tony and the rest of the team were out here, he would find them. Too preoccupied with now finding his team, Clint forgot about the fact that he now had the stolen radio.

_Stamford? Stamford, do you copy, over. Johnson, pull back and find them. Something’s not right here._

Clint pushed farther to the east until he found a suitable perch. Glancing down at the tree he now sat in, he could see nine men leave Tony’s suit and start to push to the forest. Both rain and wind started to pick up, and Clint cursed. _Well, no bow for me today,_ he said to himself as he began to set up his rifle. He almost fell from the tree when he looked up to see six men, instead of nine. _Where the hell did they go?_

Clint’s question was answered as a familiar figure ran out of the shadows. He saw Steve fling his shield and tackle the next closest insurgent and – _where the hell is his shirt?_ Sure enough, Steve Rogers, Captain fucking America, was down there running around without a shirt on like a blonde and bloodied Rambo.

Clint scrambled to put his rifle together, and began to focus the scope, when something caught his eye. Across the field, one last soldier was running up the road, heading back to Clint’s first targets. _Uh oh._ Sure Clint had taken down the group up there, but who knows how many more soldiers are waiting in the depths of the jungle, waiting for a signal. A signal that could be given at any moment by the tenth soldier. Forcing his eyes off Steve, Clint began to track the fleeing man.

The forest was not making things easy, but Clint always like a challenge. Taking a deep breath, he lined up his shot, and pulled the trigger.

**BANG!**

Clint could barely see where the target had fallen, but he knew it was taken care of. He looked back to where Steve was finding to find that not only that the Captain had taken them down, Steve himself was sprinting south along the field.

“Steve!” Clint tried to shout, but he knew it was no use. Clint quickly broke apart his rifle and started to follow Steve slowly, his eyes still roaming for other stranglers. He wasn’t even walking for 15 minutes before Steve came tearing across the field again, this time, with an armful of Tony Stark. _About fucking time._

Clint was about to run over to them, but a noise stopped him. Turning around, looking farther south into the forest, he heard more gunfire. _There are more mercs out there? Who are they – oh. Steve didn’t come here alone. This was an Avengers mission._ This meant that the rest of the team was out there; _Nat_ was out there.

Clint looked back to his team leaders only to find them speed off in a Jeep. _They’re fine for now. Time to find the rest of the team._ Decision made, Clint took off farther south into the forest.


	7. Chapter 7

“You really think its Clint?” Steve peered out into the dark jungle as if expecting their friend to pop out.

“Not sure. I never waited for an answer when I called him,” replied Tony.

“You what?!”

“Well _sorry,_ if I was a little too preoccupied with making sure you were ok!” Tony shouted, only to double over in pain. Steve appeared instantly at his side, gently leading back over to the Jeep for him to sit. When Steve didn’t let go, Tony pushed away. “You don’t have to keep coddling me Rogers, this isn’t my first rodeo.”

 _Rogers?_ Steve couldn’t remember the last time he was just a simple ‘Rogers’ to Tony. Steve took another step towards Tony only to have him flinch away again. Steve stopped, confused. _What is – oh. How could I have been so stupid._ Tony was a ladies man, always needing a beautiful woman curled around his side. There had been Pepper, gorgeous Pepper, not to mention a string of females before her. Why he would waste his time was Steve made no sense. _I let my emotions take over. I used him when he was weak and injured, just for my personal gains. Tony Stark would never want someone like Steve Rogers._

With dams breaking down in Steve’s head my almost missed Tony’s continued monologue. “I mean, come on Steve, I’m a big boy, I can handle it. Don’t feel like you need to do this because you pity me. Just _please –_ just stop toying with me. I don’t think I can handle it Steve, I- ”

Steve’s head snapped up. “Wait, what?” When Tony just looked away, everything clicked. _Oh Tony._ “You don’t think I meant it. When I kissed you,” Steve breathed.

“Well how could you. I mean, you- you’re you, and I’m, well, I’m me.”

“I’m not following.”

Tony huffed. “Steve. I’m Tony Stark. I’m literally known for my arrogance and my brutish personality. I have _zero_ regard for my personal safety, and don’t even get me started on my path of destruction. In this past ten years, I have aided in the world’s ruin at least five times, and I haven’t even hit the age of fifty yet. I mean, just today I almost got you killed twice. I wasn’t even supposed to be here, and look at everything that’s happened. I basically scream abomination, and you? You couldn’t possibly want that. _Don’t deserve that._ Steve Rogers would never want someone like Tony Stark.”

Steve stared at him in shock. “You think this is _your_ fault?! Tony, you came to get me, to save me. You would be back home in New York right now if I could handle simple raids anymore! But I can’t; I’m slipping, losing it, and I can’t stop. When you left after Ultron, I broke. You were gone and my heart couldn’t handle it.” Steve collapsed in front of Tony before continuing. “And now? My heart shattered when I thought you were dead, that _I_ was the reason you were dead. It’s still being smashed into tiny pieces knowing that you’re hurt, and I failed to protect you.” Steve blinked up at Tony with watery eyes. “I thought I’d lost you. I thought you were gone forever and I would never be able to… I need you, Tony. If anyone’s the abomination, it’s me. How I crave you; How I need you to survive, like oxygen.” Steve broke off and stared into his hands. He knew he had gone too far, crushing whatever hope there was left of a future with Tony.

“Steve.” A shaking hand found its way under his chin, forcing his sad eyes to meet Tony’s brilliant ones. Tony didn’t say anything more, just slowly closed the distance between the two.

This kiss was completely different than their first. Tony pressed their lips together slowly, almost shyly, like Steve was going to pull away in disgust at any moment. Steve was not having it. Releasing a sob against Tony’s mouth, he pulled Tony impossibly close to him, his hands cradling his neck and threading through his hair.

Whatever innocence the kiss had left flew out the window when Tony swiped his tongue across Steve’s lower lip. Steve pried their mouths open, and delved his tongue in Tony, trying to map every sweet inch of it. The two kissed desperately, as if they were afraid the other would disappear in front of them, no sounds between them harsh pants and shared breaths. When Steve pulled away for air, Tony continued placing searing kisses along Steve’s jawline, his beard scratching along Steve’s neck.

Pulling Tony into a tight embrace, he whispered, “Don’t ever doubt my feelings for you.” Tony shuddered into Steve’s chest and nodded slightly. Drawing away, Steve saw that Tony’s small frame was shaking again, meaning the pain from his injuries were still at full force.

Looking back to the forest, Tony said, “If the sniper was Clint, we could head back south and probably find him along the tree line.”

But Steve shook his head. “We don’t know for a fact that was Clint. Besides, when was the last time Clint used a sniper rifle? I’m not going to risk taking you back there.”

“Steve. The rest of your team is still out there. If the sniper wasn’t Clint, Natasha and Sam could be in danger. We need to go back.”

Grasping the sides of Tony’s face, Steve replied. “You’re too badly injured. I need to get you to safety first. I won’t put you back in harm’s way.”

“You know, you were hurt too,” Tony sighed, bringing a trembling hand up to trace at the healing scars on Steve’s left side. “You can’t abandon your team for me. You know that.”

Steve pushed his face into Tony’s neck. “ _I can’t lose you._ ”

“I’m right here,” Tony whispered back. “We’ll get through this; together.”

Steve took a deep breath and looked at Tony. He knew he was right. If the team was still out there, they could help get Tony to safety. Steve had sent Nat and Sam to get in contact with headquarters, so maybe they had gotten a signal through. With the EMP frying their comms, his other two teammates were Steve’s only hopes to connect with home base. Besides, the drop zone was to the south anyway; if they continued north, Steve might actually be taking Tony farther away from help. They would just have to pray that the sniper was actually Clint and not another hostile. The potential of Clint also meant the potential of a quinjet. Steve sighed again. They were between a rock, and a hard place. _We need to go back._

Finally a man with a semi horrible plan, Steve helped Tony back into the Jeep and walked back over to the driver’s side. He was reaching for the door when Steve found himself on the ground, sparks flying in front of his vision. The breath had been knocked out of him, and a searing pain taking over his body. _I’ve been shot._

Unlike the previous grazes, this bullet pierced him through his upper chest, Steve already feeling the blood pool around him. Above him, a hazy figure was trying to get his attention.

“STEVE!” Tony lurched over the side of the Jeep, blatantly ignoring the huge jolt of pain it sent through his body. The shot came out of nowhere, hitting Steve dead on. Squeezing his hands down on the wound, Tony tried to get Steve’s attention again. “Steve! Steve come on, keep breathing with me. You’ll be fine; keep your eyes on me.”

Steve’s vision was swimming until he finally locked onto Tony. “-ony?” He asked weakly.

“Yep, that’s my name, don’t wear it out. There we go Steve, just keep looking at me. You’ll be fine, it’s just a scratch.” Tony opened his mouth again, only to be ripped from Steve’s side.

Following where Tony had been grabbed, Steve saw Tony be pulled away onto the road by a couple of soldiers. He could only watch in horror as they started to beat Tony, unable to move to his aid. Tony kept screaming for Steve until one more blow to his face knocked the consciousness right out of him.

Steve, still trying to crawl to Tony, was stopped by a huge boot stepping on his wound. Steve screamed out in agony, body in a full spasm. “Your marksman should have made sure we were all dead,” he heard before a butt of a gun knocked him out.


	8. Chapter 8

Clint was pacing.

Throwing his hands in the air, he questioned, _What the hell am I supposed to do? Come on, Clint, you’re wasting too much time._

He turned south. Nat and Wilson were somewhere out there, fighting God knows how many assailants. The gun fire did not sound pretty. _I need to get to them._

Clint turned back to the north. Steve wouldn’t just take off and leave his team in the dust. That could only mean one thing: something was wrong with Tony. It would explain the warehouse explosion and the dismantled Iron Man suit. _I need to get to them._

He sighed in exasperation. _This is why I never led a strike team. I was happy with my spot on the Avengers, with Cap just telling me where to point my bow. I’m not made for this making decisions crap._

Taking a deep breath, Clint reached for his pack. Looking to the north once more, he turned and continued south. Tony was with Steve, and Clint knew that was the safest place he could be. _Steve would keep him safe; Steve would get help._ Clint reassured himself that he had also come from the north. With all of the soldiers taken care of, they shouldn’t be in any immediate danger. Nat and Sam, however? They could be in a world of hurt right now.

Clint sped up to a jog, formulating his final plan. _Find Nat and Sam. Go back to the Jeep. Grab Steve and Tony. Get the hell outta dodge. Finish the baby's damn crib._

\------------------------------

Natasha caught Sam as he tripped over another overturned root. _God damn, what did you eat for breakfast?_ she asked herself as she helped him. Satisfied that his makeshift sling was still intact, she tugged on his arm, and pulled him farther south. “Come on, we’ve got to be close to the drop zone.”

Sam groaned as his arm whacked another tree. _Hey man, this is no one’s fault but your own._ Back in the warehouse, he was too busy watching out the window that he completely forgotten to watch his own back. Hand to hand combat was not easy with a broken Falcon suit, and had led to a broken arm. Looking around the forest, he couldn’t help but wonder, _Why the hell am I here?_ A lot of times he find himself forgetting about how surreal his life is. Not two years ago, Sam was just some washed up soldier helping people with their PTSD, and now here he was running from crazed, metal hungry mercenaries with a Russian assassin and a defrosted national icon right on their tails. Sam snorted; _my life is insane._

Stumbling yet again into Natasha, Sam cleared his head, looking for familiar landmarks. It was still light when their quinjet had dropped them off, but with the dark clouds and rain, Sam couldn’t seem to find anything that looked right. “Are you sure we’re going the right way?”

Natasha spun around and glared at him to answer his question. Sam raised his good hand in a surrender position. Natasha turned back around to glance at the surrounding trees. _We have to be almost there._ She was about to take another step when –

**BOOM!**

The large explosion almost knocked them off their feet. Grasping each other to stay up, Natasha and Sam’s concerned eyes locked as they both whispered, “Steve.”

“How bad does your arm hurt?” Natasha asked, already heading back north.

“Doesn’t matter, we’re going back.” Natasha couldn’t help but smile. Sam was always trying to prove himself, training extra with Steve and Wanda, showing that even though he was just a normal guy, he was an avenger, and not a force to be reckoned with. It reminded her of Clint.

Natasha missed Clint. He helped with some of the bigger missions, but with the new baby, she hardly saw much of her best friend. Especially after everything that happened with Ultron, _with Bruce,_ Natasha was lost without having the support of her archer.

Sam was in front of her now, pushing a faster pace to get back to the warehouses; to get back to Steve. Steve was the last member of her old team, the one familiar face that she felt completely comfortable with. If Steve hadn’t stayed, there would be no way Natasha could have formed bonds with the new team. Steve was her bridge, her safety net; reminding her that she could choose who she wanted to be, make her own decisions. Too many times she had forgotten that she was her own person, not just some pawn on a chess board.

Something told her that she was the same thing for Steve. Natasha knew how Tony leaving crushed the Captain, so he held to Natasha as if he was clinging on to the last reminder of a better time. A time where she would trip over Clint’s deserted arrows on the floor, or a time where she lost the TV remote within the stacks of Steve’s drawings. A time where there was a new shipment of dinnerware each week from Thor’s mishaps. A time where Bruce made home cooked meals, each of them taking turns trying to drag Tony out of the lab. But those times were long gone, now. _Steve, you better be alright._

The two Avengers were making good time back to the warehouses, when shouts from the west got their attention. Immediately they ducked down, and with a nod to each other, began sneaking over to see what the commotion was.

“Where the hell did they come from?” Sam whispered. Creeping west, they found a small gorge with a clearing, revealing a camp full of more soldiers.

 _They shouldn’t be here,_ thought Natasha. When they got this detail, the intel assured that they would be in and out in a couple of hours. _Simple recon,_ Steve had said. Just checking if there was any stolen vibranium around, and then regrouping before making a move. _We are in way over our heads._ “Maybe the tip about vibranium was legit. All the foot soldiers could mean they’re trying to find it as well. Come on, let’s get a closer look.”

Finding a secluded spot, Sam and Natasha slipped further into the valley, trying to get within earshot of the tents. Squatting behind a fallen tree, they listened in.

“Did you hear that thing? Bomb worked like a fucking charm; they probably didn’t even see it coming,” chuckled one of the soldiers. Sam looked over to Natasha and mouthed “ _They?”_

Another wave of panic swept over Natasha. Steve’s emergency beacon. He had called for Tony. " _Iron Man,”_ she sent back to him. _We need to get back to the warehouses._

Natasha was about to push back up the hill when she heard a crackling of a radio.

_“They’re not here. We checked the rubble, but the Iron Man suit is out here, so they must have survived. We’re going to start sweeping the forest. Get down here, now.”_

Tony and Steve had survived. But that knowledge to the enemy didn’t do them any favors. Natasha looked up again to see the soldiers arming themselves. “Come on gents, you heard the man! We need to get up there!”

Sam was looking at her with wide eyes, and she knew he was thinking the same thing. Steve and Tony may not be dead, but who knows the extent of their injuries. They would be able to fight a battle on both fronts. Quietly, Natasha reloaded her gun and checked to see if Sam was ready. With one last nod, they both jumped up and started shooting.

The element of surprise was on their side, but it wasn’t too long before she realized they should have waited until they got to the top of the hill before they made their presence known. Here, down in the kill box with everyone else, they soon found themselves in their original situation: outmanned and outgunned. Narrowly dodging another bullet, Natasha scanned their immediate resources for a way out.

**BANG!**

Sam dropped to the grass, but Natasha turned to follow the sound.

“Shit! A sniper too? God dammit, this is just what we need. We gotta get out of here. With any luck they’ll chase us, and avoid the warehouses,” Sam yelled at her. He tugged at her arm, but Natasha refused to move.

 _I know that sound._ “Clint,” she grinned.

“Barton’s here? But how?”

“Tony must have brought him,” she mussed. No one could out gun Clint, and with a forest like this, no one would see him coming. An unseen reaper hidden in the shadows. “Get to the top of the hill, and we’ll hold out there. Backup is on the way.” _Clint is coming. Everything will be fine._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately, this will probably be my last update till Monday. I'm working on the next chapter but I'm not sure if I will finish it in time. Rowing nationals are this weekend, and well, a certain writer has to go win a medal. 
> 
> Thank you for all the awesome comments; keep them coming! Your comments make this story so fun to write!  
> Thank you all for staying with the story, hopefully we'll see some happy endings. :)


	9. Chapter 9

Clint slowed his pace. The gunfire was significantly louder, but he didn’t want to give away his position. He scaled the nearest tree to determine his next move. Peeking between branches he could see a small camp sight, laid within a valley. Within the camp were over a dozen armed soldiers, shooting into the left side of the forest. _Nat and Sam._

Looking at the number of men left, Clint knew he couldn’t pick off all of the men before the others located his position. Sam and Nat needed more than one marksman. Clint smirked. _If that’s what they need, that’s what they’ll get._

\-------------------------------

Natasha loaded her last magazine into her gun. They were running out of time. She scanned the trees again. _Come on, Clint._

“I’m out. You?” Sam asked to her left.

“Almost.” Without any more ammo, they couldn’t hold out much longer.

“I don’t think I can keep pulling off this whole damsel-in-distress thing anymore. It’s not doin’ anything good to my ego,” joked Sam.

“Well if you got any bright ideas, I’m all ears,” she replied.

**BANG!**

Natasha jumped at the proximity of the bullet. “Oh thank god, he’s here.” Peeking out from behind their cover, she saw one of the men dead on the ground, the remaining pointing their guns at the bullets origin.

“Sniper! Stay low and take him out!”

The soldiers started converging to Clint’s location when all of a sudden –

**BANG!**

Another bullet came whizzing into the valley taking down another man. _From the opposite direction._

“What the hell?!”

“Where did that come from?!”

“Be alert, there’s more than one!”

The mercs looked all over at the surrounding forest, eyes darting to where the next bullet might come from. “They’re trying to take us from both sides. Take cover behind the ammo trucks, and we’ll wait them out!

Meanwhile, Sam looked questioningly over at Natasha, but she just smiled. “Don’t move; we need to stay out of the line of fire. This will be over soon.”

“I thought you said Barton was here by himself?”

She grinned back Sam. “He is.”

**BANG!**

**BANG!**

Two shots fired just seconds after each other, coming from opposite sides, slicing through four men standing in a line.

“They have us surrounded!”

“Let’s get out of here!”

The soldiers started shooting blindly into the forest, hoping to catch at least one of the ‘sniper army’ but to no avail. The combatants dropped like flies.

**BANG!**

One final thud to the ground, and the last of the soldiers were taken care of. Natasha was about to leave cover when Sam pulled her back. “What the hell was that?”

“I think you mean _who_ the hell was that,” she smirked back at him before walking out into the camp.

 _Baby birds._ Natasha still remembers the look on sheer joy on Clint’s face when Tony gave him the early Christmas present. It was after a nasty mission, which resulted with Thor getting shot, and some broken ribs to both Steve and Natasha. Clint had complained that he could have prevented this, but _hey man, I can’t be at three places at once._ Tony disappeared into his lab for four days before shoving the contraption at Clint with a snarky _now you can._

It was a very simple design, very light weight. Tony had created eight long cylinders, resembling a guns barrel, each loaded with six bullets, mounted with a tiny camera, and with titanium clamps to secure them in place. Clint could attach the cylinders around an entire perimeter, giving him eyes at all angles. Each ‘baby bird’, as Tony liked to call them, was wirelessly connected to a StarkPad. The Pad would show every camera feed, giving Clint the option to adjust the aim on any of the ‘birds’ and firing from multiple angles simultaneously.

Clint had taken down all of the remaining enemies without giving away his position. _He probably wasn’t even sitting in the valley,_ thought Natasha. _Show off._  

Walking slowly out to the middle of the camp, Sam scanned the now quiet camp. A sound from behind startled him, his immediate reaction to bring the assailant to the ground.

“Jesus! Didn’t your mother ever tell you to respect your elders?” the man groaned.

“Clint!” Natasha shouted from behind Sam, pushing through him to help her friend up. Sure enough, now standing before Sam was none other than the infamous Hawkeye.

“Now that’s the welcome I was looking for,” Clint returned, sweat and dried mud unable to hide striking grin. Looking over his teammates, he continued, “You two look like shit.”

“Well you’re not exactly easy on the eyes either,” retorted Sam, who still looked suspicious of Clint’s arrival.

“Ah, Wilson. I knew there was a reason I missed you,” Clint said, patting Sam’s injured arm. He started to respond with a pained grimace, when Clint cut him off again. “As much as I would love to continue this cat fight, we’ve got bigger problems. We have to go back north to the warehouses.”

“But the drop zone is to the south. When we reach the clearing, we can probably get a strong enough signal to send back to headquarters,” said Sam.

Clint just shook his head. “With the equipment these guys are using, you’re going to need to walk a much farther distance to get a signal. Besides, we need to go back for Steve and Tony.” Clint slung his pack over his shoulder, and began ushering his new group back to the north.

Natasha’s head snapped up. “Status?”

“I’m not sure. Steve looked alright, but Tony? It can’t be good. The last time I saw them, Steve was carrying Tony farther north. There must have been an explosion before I got here; everything was ripped to shreds- including the Iron Man suit.”

Sam paled. “Yea, we felt it all the way out here.”

“No matter what happened,” Clint continued, “we need to get back there. There is a Jeep left by the warehouses that we can use to find them. Steve grabbed the other one, but he’ll probably stop at the closest building he finds if that means getting Tony to safety. Why he pushed north instead of south to you guys is beyond me, but we all know Steve tends to make stupid decisions when Tony’s involved. I took out all the soldiers I saw on the way down here, so it should be smooth sailing.”

Regardless, all three Avengers walked at the ready, equipped with new ammo from Clint. The sun was peeking out over the tree line by the time the trip made it back to the abandoned buildings. _Jesus, we’ve been here all night,_ Sam mussed. All his thoughts stopped however, as his eyes found a crater where a warehouse was supposed to be. “Holy shit.”

“My thoughts exactly. It gets worse,” said Clint, pointing to the right. There, strewn around the bodies of fallen soldiers, was a dismantled Iron Man suit.

Natasha crouched down by the suit gingerly, and replied, “You were right. This thing is caked in blood, undoubtedly Tony’s. We should hurry.”

“Already ahead of you,” said Clint, twirling the second set of Jeep keys around his fingers. “Grab the suit. Stark would kill us if we left this thing out here.” As the three loaded the vehicle, Clint glanced up the road. _Hang in there guys, we’re coming._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *enters room with Eminem's 'Guess Who's Back' playing in the background*
> 
> Alright, back to business. Thank you for sticking it out! Expect another update today as well (at least)! Also, I promise the next chapter to have Steve and Tony. Pinky promise. 
> 
> Once again, thank you for all the lovely comments, they were nice surprises to get when I got home. Keep them coming!


	10. Chapter 10

“Any word?”

“Nothing, ma’am. Should we send a bird out there? It’s been over twelve hours.”

“No. Give them more time. This isn’t the first time Captain Rogers has gone radio silent to keep the element of surprise.”

Back in New York, Maria Hill stood tall overlooking the expansive Avengers headquarters. _Where are they?_

\----------------------------------

Clint cut the wheel sharply, the Jeep spinning wildly around the curves of the road. There was no sign of Steve or Tony yet, but the tracks from the previous Jeep proved that they were still going the right way. After one final turn, Clint finally spotted the first Jeep pulled off to the left side. _Finally._

Cutting the engine, the trio jumped out, rushing to the second Jeep. Only to find it empty. It was clear that their two leaders had been there. Steve’s uniform top hung over the passenger side door, while both back seats showed evidence of Tony’s blood.

“Steve? Tony?” Natasha yelled, only to be answered by the faint chirping of birds greeting the morning. Looking back at her teammates she added, “Where the hell could they be?”

“Over here!” Sam called. Clint and Natasha ran farther up the road to find not Steve and Tony, but a fallen shoulder with a bullet to the heart.

“You have been busy,” Natasha mused, looking back to Clint.

“He pulled away from the main group; I thought he was going for reinforcements. Not to worry though, I took them out too, right up there,” Clint replied while sprinting even farther north.

Reaching the point of his initial contact with the enemy, Clint froze. “What is it?” asked Natasha, walking up beside him.

“There are only three here.”

“And?”

“There were more than three when I left.” Clint ran back to the Jeep.

Finally reaching the driver’s side, his knees buckled. There on the ground, mixing with the mud, was another pile of blood.

“More of Tony’s?” asked Sam.

Natasha shook her head. “It’s not the same. This is a pool, while most of Tony’s we found in the Jeep was smeared, most likely from their hands rubbed it onto the car. No, this is something different.”

Clint couldn’t hear them over the roaring of his own ears. No one should have been by the driver’s side except for - _I made the wrong choice._ He shouldn’t have gone for Nat and Sam; they were holding their own just fine. He should have gone to Steve and Tony. He could have stopped this. He could have saved them. _This is my fault._ Steve and Tony had gotten caught by his mistakes, his failure to perform, and now they were probably both dead. “My fault,” he whispered, hands shaking.

“Clint?”

“We need find them. The blood’s not Tony’s, its Steve’s.”

Clint didn’t even wait for a response before hopping back in the Jeep. Looking back up the road, he could see other tire tracks formed, not doubt from the remaining soldiers that had taken Steve and Tony.

_I’ll get them home. Even if it kills me._

\----------------------------------

Steve opened his eyes slowly, only to snap them shut again. The brightness of the room seemed to even pierce through his eyelids. Squinting, he tried again, dealing with his burning retinas, forcing them to adjust to the room.

White. Everything was white: walls, the ceiling, the door. Heart racing, he snapped his head to the right, half expecting to hear an old radio broadcast a game that happened over ninety years ago.

Finding none, he returned to his investigation of the room. _Hospital,_ his mind supplied. Steve sighed in relief. _Nat and Sam must have found help._ The last thing Steve remembered was being on the road and – he peered down. Sure enough, his entire chest was wrapped in gauze, obviously left over from a previous surgery. Steve shifted only for his body to explode in pain. _Right. Bullet wound._ The serum was clearly still working its magic, so Steve remained still, looking back up at the ceiling. If this wound was anything like the ones he had gotten from his run in with Bucky in Washington, he knew it would take a while to heal completely.

He thought back to when he was confined in that small hospital; Sam brought in a new CD almost every day claiming that _this is the real deal, man!_ Nat came in sometimes as well, always making sure she brought a newspaper for Steve, and a book for herself. They would sit for hours, not even saying a single word, just in comfortable silence interrupted by the occasional page turn. Steve had laughed when Tony started sending him ridiculous get well gifts. Cheesy Hallmark cards adorned the wall, along with ridiculously shaped balloons, slowly filling up Steve’s room. How Tony had managed to even find –

_Tony._

Steve shot up again, crying out again over his forgotten bullet wound. _Where was Tony? Is he ok? Is he even alive?!_ Memories flooded back to Steve, ones of Tony being ripped from his arms and beaten, all the while screaming for Steve. _I need to get up. I have to find Tony._

Gathering his composure, Steve was about to sit up when a doctor rushed into the room. “Woah, Captain Rogers, take it easy; you’re still recovery from surgery. Stop moving or you’ll pull out your stitches,” he said gently, while pushing Steve back down to the bed.

Steve’s mind was in overload. “Please, you need to help me. My friends, they brought me here, yes? Was someone else with me? _Where is Tony Stark?_ ”

“Captain please relax, you’re heart rate isn’t stable. Yes, Mr. Stark is here. He is recovering just as you are.” Relief poured over Steve’s body, finally letting the doctor push him back down to the bed.

“How is he?” 

“Well, I’m not going to lie to you; it was touch and go for a while. Mr. Stark lost a lot of blood, not to mention the concussion, or the slight infection in his abdomen wound.” Steve flinched. “But, the transfusions and surgeries were a success, and his charts say everything is where it’s supposed to be. He’s resting in the room next to yours. We’ve taken him off his morphine drip, so he should be waking up soon.”

Steve could have cried. _Tony was alive and safe in the next room._ “I need to see him.”

But the doctor only shook his head. “In time, Captain. You need rest as well. I promise to come get you when Mr. Stark wakes up.”

Steve exhaled in defeat, watching the doctor exit the room. Slowly, Steve tilted his head to the side, smiling softly, knowing that Tony was there, _safe,_ on the other side.

\----------------------------------

“Well now what?”

Clint, Natasha, and Sam stared at the fork in the road that lay before them. Tire tracks went both ways, so it was impossible to tell which way Tony and Steve had been taken.

“We could split up- ”

“No,” Clint snapped. “We’re sticking together.” He glanced back at the road, looking for threads from clothes, blood drops, _anything_ that could show the correct path. Clint sighed. “I guess we’ll just have to pick one, and pray it’s the right.”

 Natasha nodded and then pointed to the ground. “Two cars went this way, while only one went to the left. If it were me, I would send more men to keep Captain America and Iron Man subdued.”

“Sound enough argument for me,” agreed Sam. They piled back into the Jeep. “Right it is.”

They traveled a little ways before Clint pulled off the road. “What do you see?” asked Natasha.

Clint peered ahead and answered, “There is another building up there. If I had to guess, that would be where they are keeping Steve and Tony. Let’s move.”

They piled out of the car, and began trekking the rest of the distance on foot. When they got closer, the trio spotted armed guards along the entire perimeter of a huge factory.

“Juvenile,” whispered Natasha, already pointing out the holes in the guards’ security detail.

“Alright here’s the plan. We’ll take out the perimeter, and enter through the delivery entrance over there,” said Clint. “Wilson you go left, Nat go right. I’ll pick off the ones on top.” Getting nothing but nods in return, the three turned to move out when Clint stopped to face them again. “We’re all soldiers here; we don’t have time for the usual Captain America humanity bullshit. No more screwing around with our ‘phasors on stun’ crap. Our friends are in there, most likely fighting for their lives. We have one directive: get them out, get them home. We can’t afford to leave any survivors.”

\----------------------------------

Steve must have drifted off. Blinking awake again, he found another doctor leaning over him. Considerably different than the first one, this doctor was bulking, his lab coat straining to keep from ripping, not even long enough to reach his knees.

More aware than he was the first time when he awoke, he immediately asked, “Tony?”

The doctor didn’t answer right away, just continued to poke at Steve’s still tender stomach. Grabbing his hands, Steve asked again. “Tony.”

The doctor snatched his hands back and sighed. “Mr. Stark is fine. You will see him soon. You’re wounds have healed nicely as well, if you cared.”

Steve paused for a moment. _I’ve heard that voice before._ Steve gave the doctor a once over. He didn’t look familiar. He was probably a doctor the Avengers had used on a previous mission.

“A thank you would be nice. After all, without our help, you and Stark were sure to be dead,” the doctor continued with a sneer.

Steve froze. Glancing back up at the doctor he thought, _I’ve heard him say that before._ His mind whirred through his memories, until finally –

_“Your marksman should have made sure we were all dead.”_

Steve’s heartrate sky rocketed. They weren’t safe; no one had come for them. Now, he was in the belly of the beast, and Tony was nowhere to be found.

_Tony. Oh god, where is he._

The ‘doctor’ smirked at Steve, like he had followed the whole realization in Steve’s head.

Gathering his strength, Steve surged off the bed ready to take down the assailant, any to be jabbed in the neck by a needle. Steve once again found himself drifting off, unable to tell if it was from the drug or the crushing despair felt within him.  


	11. Chapter 11

Tony awoke with a groan, bleary eyes trying to cooperate.

Looking around, he could see that he was holed up in a tiny room, lying in a hospital bed. Going through a mental checklist, he confirmed that he was just one big bruise.

His head was still pounding from his earlier run in with the soldiers, and his stomach felt like he had been through a meat grinder.

But none of that mattered. _Where’s Steve?_ Heart hammering in his chest, Tony recalled earlier events, his still cloudy head putting a shaky memory in his head.

The one thing that was still painfully clear, however, was Steve getting shot before his eyes. Tony had tried to stop the bleeding. Tony had been ripped from his arms.

 _What if he’s dead –_ no. Tony refused to think like that again. He _couldn’t_ go through that again. No, Steve had to be alive. He had to be.  

Looking around the room for potential plans, the only escape route Tony could see. But, with the shape he was in, Tony wasn’t sure how far he could make it. But he would make it. For Steve.

Grunting, Tony grabbed the handrails of the hospital bed, using it to push himself up. Already dizzy, Tony slowly swung his legs around to the side of the bed, prepping himself to stand up. _For Steve,_ he thought to himself.

Planting his weight on the ground, Tony stood up. Swaying to both sides, he decided to move before he fell back to the bed. Tony stumbled a couple of steps before crashing into the left wall from exhaustion. His body was on fire, spots dancing in front of his vision, still in no shape to be taking the strides he was. But that didn’t stop him. _Keep going._  Using the wall for support, he inched his way closer to the door. Finally reaching the handle, Tony almost cried in joy when he found it unlocked.

“Ah, Mr. Stark. You’re awake.”

Looking up at the door he had just opened, Tony’s found his escape to be blocked by an old man in a dark suit.

He looked cruel, like the kind of man that was forged in hell, only to be spit back out. His eyes were as dead and dark as the night sky, with a smirk that sent shivers running down Tony’s spine. “Sorry the boys were a little rough,” he continued patting Tony’s bandaged side, causing him to double over in pain. “They just got a little too excited. Don’t get many guests out here, especially celebrities like yourself.”

The man sneered, before reaching out and grabbing Tony in an iron grip. He tried to pull away, but Tony’s original pain and exhaustion were overtaking him. Tony glared back, retorting, “What have you done with Steve?”

“Don’t worry. Your precious Captain is still alive. He’s much more valuable to me alive than dead, as you are. Come; let’s have a chat, shall we?”

Two more men came into Tony’s room, grabbing each arm, and dragging him after his captor.

\----------------------------------

 Clint, Natasha and Sam stood at the delivery entrance, the perimeter finally secured. With one more exchange of glances, they crept in.

The inside of the factory looked deserted, empty except for tarp covered boxes. Still, Clint walked up the stairs, opting for the high ground to get a better view, Sam and Natasha on his tail.

The stairs led to a cat walk that wrapped around the entirety of the building. Sending Sam to the left, and Natasha to the right, Clint stayed poised at the top of the steps, waiting for any sign of movement. Finding no one upstairs, Natasha and Sam headed to the factory floor, finding nothing and nobody except for a small office.

Meeting them back on the ground, Clint shouted, “Nothing? There has to be something! Where are Steve and Tony?!” _They have to be here._

“Clint, calm down. They must have gone to the left at the fork. We just went the wrong way. We’ll just have to- ”

“I can’t afford to go the wrong way anymore!” Clint looked away, body trembling. Clint was always credited at SHIELD for his mental strength, always able to keep his cool in the worst of situations. But even he had his limits.

It started after New York. Clint, second guessing himself, constantly plagued with questions of ‘ _what if?’._ Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Loki laughing, innocents dead beneath his hand, _Coulson_ , his team, barely hanging on after the destruction he caused.

No one on his team blamed him; said it wasn’t his fault. But that’s where they were wrong. He should have been better – been stronger for his team. Being just an average Joe when standing next to A-list superheroes was cause enough for Clint to work himself too hard. He had to train more, had to be more for his team. Clint was the first line of defense for them, _the little hawk on our shoulder,_ as Thor put it, keeping vigil over his friends. He barely slept, eating even less, his body betraying him as he slowly deteriorated.

Fury had thought it was simple PTSD. He thought that Clint was just having a hard time grasping the concept of aliens, and sent him back to Laura for some vacation time. But then the Mandarin happened. London happened. The Winter Soldier happened.

Clint snapped. He couldn’t handle the fact that somewhere out there, while he fiddled with some useless home repair, his teammates could be taking their last breath because he wasn’t there to protect him. He wasn’t going to let that happen. Clint never answered a call faster than when the Avengers were called back together. Leaving the comfort of his simple home again, Clint returned to New York. Laura understood. She always did.

Clint finally felt himself being pieced back together. He was back with his team, back with his friends, working for a better tomorrow. How it should be. But then Ultron happened. And just like that, Clint’s frail self was shattered again.

_Pietro._

Clint had lost count of how many times he had woken up gasping in bed, still seeing that cocky grin, his snarky comments, the look on his face when he knew he was dying. _He was just a kid._

Clint had been ready to die; take the bullets, save the boy- made sense. Not even Clint’s perfect vision could have seen Pietro coming. He still remembers Wanda’s screams in his ears, him checking for a pulse he knew wasn’t there, getting pulled away by Captain America, collapsing next to him, looking at his still face after the battle.

Clint Barton was a broken man; a carnival ride that still went through the motions, but didn’t run the way it used to. No, Steve and Tony had to be alive. They couldn’t pay for Clint’s mistakes as well. He wouldn’t be able to live with it.  

A hand on his shoulder startled Clint out of his head. Turning around, he found Natasha gazing at him, clear understanding in her eyes. “They are still alive. We’ll find them, I promise.”

Clint nodded, huffing out a breath, getting rid of any tears that threatened to come.

“Uh, guys?” Clint had been so caught up in his head, he had forgotten all about Sam. Sam had taken the liberty of ripping off one of the tarps. Underneath were boxes on none other than vibranium.

Natasha gasped. “There really is vibranium here.” She walked up next to Sam, gently reaching out to touch the vibranium that lay below the glass confinements.

Clint, however, didn’t move. “Why does it look like that?”

Sam turned around. “What do you mean?”

“I’ve seen vibranium before, when we were on that cargo ship. This looks different.”

“Maybe it’s a different concentration. Only one way to find out,” replied Sam, already prying at the glass box.

Clint looked at the box again. “No, wait- ”

Clint’s protests were cut off by Sam opening the glass box. Clint’s throat constricted. _Toxic._ He could see Natasha grab at her throat, while Sam fell to the ground. Already feeling consciousness leave him, Clint looked around the room. Making up his mind, he ran forward, shutting the box while pushing Natasha towards the small office and dragging Sam behind him. Slamming the door behind him, Clint ripped off his jacket to jam in the gap between the door and the ground. He spun around too quickly, earning him a face plant into the ground, the odorless gas finally knocking him out.

\----------------------------------

Steve woke up for a third time, not in his bright hospital head, but a grimy room, strewn on the floor. Looking up, he could see the only exit covered by three armed men. Forcing himself to sit up, he glared at them. “Where is Tony Stark?”

Getting no answer, Steve stood up on shaking legs. Three regular men couldn’t stop Captain America. He growled, “WHERE IS HE.” The nearest soldier pushed him back to the ground before the door was flung open.

“Now Captain, let’s not forget our manners.” The man that stood in front of him was terrifying, his coal black eyes staring into Steve’s as a hand swiped through his dirty hair. “A simple please would suffice.”

Getting nothing but a glare in response, the man snorted, before signaling from outside. “You’re lucky I’m in such a caring mood.”

Before Steve could respond, Tony was thrust through the doorway, and thrown onto the floor in front of Steve.

“ _TONY.”_

Steve couldn’t help his outburst. He jumped forward, pulling Tony into his chest, while simultaneously pulling away from the door, unconsciously getting Tony away from the immediate danger before them.

Steve breathed into Tony’s neck, until he felt familiar hands comb through his sweaty blond locks. Looking back up, he saw Tony gazing into his eyes, a weak smile on his lips. “Good to see you, Winghead.” Steve smiled in response, his hands already roaming, checking his previous wounds. Tony, like Steve, must have gotten the full hospital treatment, and despite how damaged he looked, some color had returned to his face, giving Steve some peace.

“Gentlemen, if I could steal your attention for just a moment.”

Steve unwillingly parted from Tony’s eyes before glaring at their captor, his grip tightening around Tony. “No. You’ve done enough. I suggest you release me and my teammate, before the rest of my team finds you and rips you to pieces.”

“Your team?” the man laughed. “Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but they’ve already been taken care of. Not everyone can dodge bullets forever.” Steve felt Tony stiffen in his arms, and he couldn’t help but rub tiny circles into his love’s back. Steve didn’t dare believe a word out of the man’s mouth. “Besides,” their captor continued, “you really aren’t in any position to be making any compromises, are you Captain?”

Strong hands ripped Tony from his arms, causing Steve to jump up. He was about attack the nearest assailant, before a gun was pressed to Tony’s temple. Steve forced himself to stop.

Steve looked back to Tony, who returned his gaze with wide eyes. Steve lowered his fists. “There we are. That wasn’t so hard was it?” Their captor walked over to Tony. “I suggest you be on your best behavior as well Mr. Stark, for the Captain’s behalf.” A familiar click of a gun, and open fear clouding Tony’s eyes told Steve enough.

Tony looked back to the man in the suit. “Who are you? What do you want from us?”

“Who I am is not important. And it’s not about what I want – it’s about what I need. And what I need, Mr. Stark, is you. To be plain, what I need is Ultron.”


	12. Chapter 12

 Tony laughed. “I’m sorry?”

“I don’t know why there would be any confusion. I want Ultron. And you’re going to give him to me.”

“Uhh, I’m not sure if you heard, but Ultron is gone; we destroyed him, every last one.”

The Suit walked over to Tony. “Ahh yes, his demise was unfortunate. But you and I both know that Ultron lives on. In here,” he said, tapping at Tony’s forehead.

“Get your hands off of him,” snapped Steve, stepping forward, only to be brought to the ground by a butt of a gun.

“I’ll give you a warning, Captain, because I am in such a caring mood. But one more move and Mr. Stark here gets a bullet to the kneecap.” Steve shuddered, but allowed himself to be pulled up and held back by the other guards.

 “As I was saying, Mr. Stark. You will recreate Ultron for me. Once this is completed, you and the dear Captain will be set free.”

Tony snorted. “Do you don’t remember Ultron’s whole annihilation plan? There is no way in hell I’m bringing back that monster. I learned my lesson, thank you very much. Shoot my kneecaps. Thirty bucks says I can create a multi-million dollar industry of hovering wheelchairs by the end of the week.”

“Yes, Ultron was, let’s say, out of control. He needs guidance; he needs me. You created Ultron before, so I know you can alter him in any way you see fit. I don’t want a leader, I want a soldier. My very own Iron Man suit, if you will. An extension of me, to do my bidding.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Yea, not gonna happen buddy. You should have left me to bleed out in the woods.”

But The Suit only grinned. “I know men like you Mr. Stark. All talk, but in the end, you’ll always make the sacrifice play. I know you’ll let me kill you before you give me Ultron. But- ”

The Suit walked up to Steve. “Will you be able to sacrifice Steve Rogers?”

Tony’s breathing hitched, causing their captor to smile. Pulling a small knife from his jacket pocket, The Suit dragged the blade across Steve’s shoulder lightly, causing a few droplets of blood to rise over Steve’s bare skin. Steve barely flinched.

Tony started to pull against the men restraining him. “What are you doing? Don’t you dare touch him!” _Not Steve. Please._

The Suit continued, circling around Steve. “You talk big game Mr. Stark. You claim you can survive without your legs, but tell me, can the Captain survive without his?” With no warning, The Suit plunged his small knife into the meat of Steve’s thigh. Steve couldn’t help the cry of pain that left his mouth, as his knees buckled under him.

“No! Steve!” Steve heard Tony scream in the distance. He willed his breathing to slow down, forcing his body to deal with the pain. _You’ve had worse. Time to buck up, soldier._ Steve would take any pain to protect the world, to protect Tony.

The Suit yanked Steve’s hair, forcing his eyes to meet Tony’s. “Will you reconsider my offer then?”

“Don’t do it, Tony,” Steve panted. “I’ll be fine. You can’t recreate Ultron, and you know it.”

Tony’s wide eyes pleaded with Steve. Steve could see his body shaking; Tony was still trying to pull away from his guards and get to him.

“Mr. Stark, my patience is wearing thin.”

Tony opened his mouth, but words failed to form. _What do I do?!_  His eyes danced around the room, trying to find something, _anything,_ that could help. He couldn’t make Ultron. He couldn’t hurt Steve. Locking his eyes with Steve, Tony could still see him shaking his head, smiling softly, telling him that everything would be ok. “I – I can’t… I- ”

Tony was cut off my The Suit stepping down on Steve’s leg, pushing the knife in deeper. Steve howled in pain as his legs finally gave out from under him. His vision went white as he was swiftly kicked in his chest, his previous wound flaring up. Steve gasped, trying to get his focus back. Above him, he heard, “Let’s see how well he can throw his shield without his fingers.”

Someone grabbed his right arm, forcing it to lie straight against the floor, fingers slayed out. He cried out as the knife was pulled from his leg, and slowly traced along his fingers. Steve could feel his own warm blood seep in between the digits. Steve cringed, waiting for the upcoming blow when shouts pulled him out of his head. It was Tony.

“No! Please, _please,_ don’t! I’ll do it! I swear, I’ll do anything! Just don’t hurt him! _Please._ ” Steve blinked up to find Tony scrambling against the men holding him back, trying to reach desperately for Steve.

“Tony… you can’t,” Steve started weakly, only to be cut off.

“Steve, stop. I have to.” Tony looked back up at their captor. “I’ll do it. I’ll give you Ultron.”

The Suit grinned. “I’m glad we were able to reach an agreement. It was pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Stark. We’ll be back soon.” He snapped his fingers, and the armed men dropped Tony to the ground, and exited the room, locking it behind them.

Tony didn’t hesitate before scrambling over to Steve, laying him gently on his back, ripping part of the gauze from his chest off, and pressing it to Steve’s leg. When he looked back up, Steve saw tears had spilled over his cheeks and felt his hands trembling against Steve’s leg. On top of that, Steve heard mantras of “ _I’m sorry”_  fall from Tony’s lips.

Steve reached a hand up, brushing tears off of Tony’s face. “It’s ok. I’m ok, I’m right here.” Tony pushed his face further into Steve’s hand, leaning into the touch. “Tony. You can’t make another Ultron. And you definitely can’t give it to him. I’ll be fine, I’ve handled worse.” But Tony was already shaking his head.

“Steve- I can’t. Don’t make me do it. I can’t let him hurt you. _I can’t let him kill you._ ” Tony was openly crying now, curling himself around Steve’s torso, feeling his heartbeat. “I’ll stall as long as possible. They don’t have a physical body for Ultron yet, so the process will take longer. Maybe help will come by then. I just- I can’t say no. I won’t say no to them, not when you’re in danger. I’m sorry, Steve, that I’m not as strong as you, but- ”

Tony was cut off by Steve pressing their lips together in a fierce kiss. Tony melted into Steve, sighing softly as their mouths molded perfectly. “It’s ok, Tony. I’d do the same for you,” he whispered.

Tony curled more tightly around Steve, still mindful of his injuries. Steve rubbed soothing circles into Tony’s neck, slowly flexing his leg that had reduced to a dull throb. “I’m gonna get you out of here, Steve,” Tony continued. “I’m gonna take you back home to New York, and I’m gonna ask you to dinner.” Steve smiled softly. “I’ll change my outfit at least five times, opting with the most ridiculous one just so I can see you blush. Hell, Rhodey will have to do my tie, I’ll be so nervous. I’ll buy out that restaurant that you like, you know, the one you go to just for the view? But you could get anything. I’ll have food flown in from Brooklyn if you asked. And you’d hate every minute of it,” Tony laughed. “You’ll scold me for spending all this money, going through all this trouble, but I wouldn’t care.” Tony leaned up to stroke Steve’s cheek. “I’d give you the world if you’d let me.” Steve gazed lovingly at Tony, smiling when he felt soft lips against his.

“And I, you.”

The doors burst open, the armed men refiling the room. The Suit walked back in.

“Mr. Stark. It’s time.”


	13. Chapter 13

Tony burrowed his face into Steve’s neck, ignoring their captor. Steve could feel his hot breath quicken against him.

“Mr. Stark. Don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be. For the Captain’s sake.”

Steve reached down and grabbed Tony’s face between his hands. “Look at me. I’ll be fine. Go with them now so you can come back to me.” Steve pressed his lips to Tony one last time. “I’ll see you soon.”

Tony smiled weakly at Steve, letting the armed men drag him from the room.

The Suit walked back in to throw a tray at Steve’s feet. “Eat up, Captain,” he said with a sneer. With that, The Suit left the room, locking it behind him.

Looking down Steve saw something that was supposed to be food, and some more bandages for his leg. Sighing, he started to pick at the food. _Eat. Make yourself strong again._

They needed to find a way out of there. Steve knew that Tony could find a way to stall the Ultron process, but how much extra time it gave them, Steve didn’t know.

Glancing back at the door, Steve thought of Tony. Steve had failed him; yet again, Tony was being forced to make his creations for the wrong people. It was like Afghanistan all over again.

_Please be ok._

\----------------------------------

Tony stumbled down a long hallway, the guards still supporting some of his weight. He couldn’t help but look back, staring at the locked door that blocked him from Steve.

Tony had failed him; yet again, Steve had to sit idly by while his friend was forced to become a terror against the human race. It was like the Winter Soldier all over again.

_Please be ok._

“Here we are, Mr. Stark.” The Suit led him to the end of the hallways, where another door greeted him. Opening the door, Tony saw a cramped room filled with dusty computers. “Now, I’m sure it isn’t the flash that you’re used to, but I know you’ll make do. You created Iron Man with metal scraps in a cave; I’m sure you’ll be able to handle an out of date computer.”

The Suit pushed Tony into the metal chair in front of the monitors. “Remember our deal, Mr. Stark. Give me Ultron, and no harm will come to the Captain. Fail me, and I’ll be sure you’re there when I put a bullet in his head.” Tony shuddered, recoiling when The Suit patted his shoulder before leaving the room.

As soon as Tony was alone, he sobbed into his hands.   _What am I supposed to do?_ Tony couldn’t make Ultron. He and Bruce created the Ultron program, but it was never synthesized until they had the power from Loki’s scepter. It was impossible to recreate Ultron without that power. _Oh god, they’re gonna kill Steve. It’s all my fault._

His fingers shook over the keyboard, mind pumping into overdrive. He wouldn’t make Ultron for them; he wouldn’t do it even if he could. _Think._ Steve was depending on him. Steve believed in him. The Suit needed him to make Ultron, but Tony couldn’t do it.

But no one knew that he couldn’t.

Tony was a business man. He could con his way out of a paper bag, let alone a dirty cave in Afghanistan. Tony cracked his knuckles, before he started up the computer.

Coding: taking the most simple of characters and transforming it into the most complex of strings. It was an art form, really. How a few key strokes could be the building blocks of the most incredible systems such as launching sequences, internet, _JARVIS,_ astounded Tony every day.

The irony of coding is how fragile it is. How even when brought together to make the most secure networks of the nation, a simple typo can bring it crumbling down. A missing semi colon, and the code will collapse into an infinite loop. Or how adding an extra bracket or indentation could crash an entire system of ten thousand lines in seconds. And that’s not even getting started on using a capital letter where it shouldn’t.  

Tony knew two things: One, he was a master at coding. Two, he was the _only_ master of coding here. There was no way these brainless hitmen had any idea what the difference between Python and C+ was. The codes strewn into the computer may as well be Russian to them. Tony snorted. _Hell, there’s probably a bigger chance that these guys speak Russian than coding._

Tony would code, oh yes, he would code. The finished product, however, will not be what the customer was looking for. NASA once lost 125 million dollars on their orbiter project for typing the word ‘feet’ instead of ‘meters’. _125 million dollars._ If NASA could do it, so could Tony Stark.

He’d make another Ultron. But, instead of humanity paying the price on his path of annihilation, this new Ultron program will destroy the compounds grids. Shut them all down; Tony’s personal Ultron virus.

Steve had always chastised the 21st century; always depending on technology, always needing the ‘next big thing’. Who knew the old man was actually right. Tony looked around the room again. Security cameras, electronic locks, and no doubt a system connecting them to the rest of the base, all gone with a pound of the enter key. _I’m gonna get us out of here Steve, I promise._

Tony was surprised when the men came and dragged him out of the computer room. _How long have I been in there?_  Tony had yet again fallen into his own headspace, blocking out the world while he worked, not an uncommon practice when he was in his lab.

Down the hallway again, _137 steps, 3 other doors, 2 security cameras,_ and Tony found himself thrust back into his original cell. The door wasn’t shut for seconds when Tony felt himself swept up into familiar arms. He felt Steve press his face into his hair, breathing in his scent.

“Steve,” he whispered, turning around to be faced with Steve’s red-rimmed eyes. Tony immediately felt his hands travel over Steve’s body, looking for any sign of injury. “What’s wrong? Steve, did they hurt you? Tell me,” he rambled, eyes darting all over his body.

“Tony, Tony, calm down. I’m fine,” Steve answered, looking at him with a soft smile as if to convey his point. “You’ve been gone for hours, no one would tell me anything, and I got worried,” he trailed off, blushing a soft pink.

Tony couldn’t help but laugh. “Be careful, Cap. Your mother hen is showing.”

Steve huffed and running his fingers through Tony’s hair. “As if I could ever stop worrying about you. Always getting yourself into trouble.” Steve brought his fingers down to lightly trace Tony’s beard. “How are you feeling?”

“Really? You’re gonna ask me that?” Tony snorted. He pulled Steve to the side of room, forcing him to sit down. Tony moved down to Steve’s leg, beginning to rewrap the wound. “Are you sure you should be walking around on this yet?”

“Who’s the mother hen now?” asked Steve. “Come here. They brought some food in a little while ago. You need to eat.”

“What about you?” Tony allowed himself to be pulled against the wall next to Steve.

Steve handed Tony a tray with the leftover food. “I already ate. Come on, you need your strength.” Tony ate in silence, thinking about the rest of his program. “How’s Ultron coming?” Tony heard Steve ask.

Tony looked up at the cameras in the room, and then back to Steve. Smirking, he answered, “Just peachy. I can finish this by tomorrow.”

Tony didn’t say anymore on the matter, but Steve knew what he meant. Steve could identify the Tony Stark signature smirk anywhere, the mischievous glint in those chocolate eyes that could mean nothing but trouble. Steve couldn’t help but smile. _He wasn’t making Ultron. He was going to save them. There’s the Avenger that I fell in love with._

Steve grunted, pushing farther down the wall, until he was lying on his back. “You need rest.” He thread their hands together, gently tugging at Tony until he curled up next to him.

“I’ll get us out of here, Steve,” he heard Tony whisper. He tightened his hold around Tony, as if his arms could protect him from the world.

Steve kissed his forehead fiercely, returning with an “I know. We have to make it home for our dinner date.” Steve listened to Tony huff against his chest. He carded through Tony’s hair, watching with admiration as Tony arched into the touch like a cat. Slowly, he felt Tony’s breath even out, face becoming lax.

“I love you,” he whispered into Tony’s hair, before closing his own eyes. _God, how I love you._


	14. Chapter 14

“Any word from the Avengers?”

“No, not yet.”

“Any word from the _other_ Avengers?”

Nick Fury sighed, pinching his nose in between his fingers. “Stark isn’t answering his phone, but Barton’s wife said that Clint went off on a mission with him. Rogers must have gotten a hold of the two of them somehow, meaning that they’re out there with the rest of the team.”

“Sir, it’s been almost two days.”

Looking up from his desk, Fury was graced with an equally worried expression from Maria Hill.

“I know. I got in touch with Rhodes. They’re on their way back from Asia, so I gave them the coordinates of Rogers drop zone. With any luck, they’ll find them.”

_With any luck, they’re all still alive._

\----------------------------------

Steve woke up cold and alone. Panicking, he reached down to find Tony, but to no avail. They must have come for Tony already.

Steve forced himself to stand up and begin walking the perimeter of their cell. His leg still twinged in pain, but he continued to pace.

_I need to find a way out of here. I need to help Tony._

Tony was out there somewhere, trying to forge an escape plan. Steve just wished he knew what it was. The cameras in the room had stopped Tony from confining in him, but Steve new there was a plan hatching within the genius’s brain.

Steve hadn’t been completely forthcoming with Tony either. Sighing, Steve thought back to his time in the cell yesterday.

_Steve stared at the door they had just dragged Tony out of. So far, he had seen a total of seven different men, and from the glimpse of the outside he got, it didn’t look like the compound they were trapped in seemed extremely big._

_*We can make a break for it.* The door didn’t look too sturdy; Steve could probably knock it down with enough force. He’d take out the guards, grab Tony, and get the hell out of there. *I’ve had worse plans,* Steve thought to himself._

_Grabbing at a pipe attached to the wall, Steve pulled his body up. His leg was on fire, but that wouldn’t stop him. He limped a couple of steps to get his bearings. His leg could heal later; they needed to leave now._

_Stumbling to the opposite side of the room, Steve looked back at the door. Taking a deep breath, Steve started to charge when it burst back open, revealing The Suit._

_“Please, Captain, there’s no need for that. You should relax; your leg must be killing you.”_

_Steve screeched to a halt, groaning at the pain in his leg._

_“I left some pain meds with your food; you’re welcome to have more if you require it.”_

_“I don’t need any charities from you,” Steve snarled. “Where did you bring Tony?”_

_“Our little worker bee is already on the job, dear Captain. It’s best if we don’t disturb him.”_

_Steve scowled. “You’re crazy if you think he’ll make another Ultron for you. Tony won’t do it.”_

_The Suit chuckled softly. “Ahh, that’s not true, Captain, and I think you know it.” He began to circle Steve. “Everyone always thought that Tony Stark was heartless. The Merchant of Death; the man who would never bat an eyelash while his weapons killed thousands. But how we were all wrong. He has the biggest heart of all, Captain. And it’s you.”_

_Steve stilled. “Tony Stark would do anything for you, Captain Rogers. That’s why he’s down the hallway right now, making another Ultron.”_

_Steve looked away, unable to come up with a retort._

_“But it’s a two way street, isn’t it?”_

_Steve turned back. “What are you saying?”_

_You would do anything for Tony Stark, yes?” The Suit continued._

_Steve narrowed his eyes, before his face opened with realization. “You want to negotiate?” When The Suit didn’t answer, Steve continued. “The serum. I can give you the super soldier serum. Sure, Tony can offer you robots, but they’ve been brought down before. What’s to say it won’t happen again? No one’s been able to get rid of me yet. I should know; I’m almost one hundred. Let Tony go, and I’ll give you the serum. You can take my blood, hell, take it all! Just let Tony go free.”_

_The Suit stared at Steve before bursting out laughing. “I’ve already told you Captain; you aren’t in any position to be making compromises. Besides, I have no use for your serum. It’s a bit of a spotty process; I don’t want to risk my face ending up like a tomato. No, I need Ultron. Tony Stark will give me Ultron, and you’re going to let him.”_

_Steve clenched his jaw, eyes blazing. “That’s where you’re wrong. Tony may have made his decision, but I won’t let him risk the world over me. I’m not going to stop fighting.”_

_The Suit stepped face to face with Steve, placing a clammy hand on Steve’s shoulder. “But that’s where you’re wrong, dear Captain. You will let Tony Stark build me Ultron. If you don’t, well- ”_

_Steve watched as their captor pulled put a small device out of his suit, resembling a remote with a singular button. “What is that?”_

_“This, Captain Rogers, is my security net. You said it yourself; no one has been able to take you down yet. The stories say that you stormed an entire encampment to get your best friend back. I know my men and I won’t stand a chance barring Captain America from the man he loves. That’s why this,” he said, gesturing to the small remote, “will ensure that you behave.”_

_Steve eyed the remote warily. “When we first brought you two in, you both needed to go under surgery. Both were successful, but well, we may have left something inside of Mr. Stark.”_

_Steve’s vision went red. He grabbed The Suit, and shoved him against the wall. “What the hell did you do?”_

_The Suit grinned. “Sometimes even the best doctors don’t have the steadiest hands. When fixing Mr. Stark’s chest wound, his lung may have been scraped by a scalpel.” Steve’s heart stopped. “Now, it’s just a tiny hole, but even the smallest of wounds can be the most dangerous. We plugged it, of course, with our own personal touch. This remote, when triggered, sends a signal to our homemade Band-Aid, starting a chemical reaction. The chemicals released will react to the plug, causing it to disintegrate, leaving Mr. Stark with a small hole in his lung.”_

_Steve had left go of The Suit, backing away, his eyes frozen wide with fear. “I hear it gets hard to breath with a punctured lung.”_

_“You’re bluffing,” Steve whispered._

_The Suit shrugged. “Are you willing to risk it?” He held out the tiny remote._

_Steve bowed his head in defeat. He couldn’t jeopardize Tony._

_“Don’t look so crushed; we can avoid this situation entirely! It all depends on you, Captain Rogers. Let Stark build Ultron. Make sure he eats, rests, anything to keep him healthy. And, on my word, once Ultron is mine and you two go free, I will give you the remote. Do we have a deal?”_

_Steve sighed and looked at the remote a final time. “I don’t really have a choice, do I?”_

_The Suit beamed. “That’s the spirit, Captain. Now rest, you’ll see your teammate again soon.” And with that, he walked out, leaving Steve with his crushed escape plans._

Steve shuddered at his memory. If Tony was planning an escape plan, Steve would have to make sure he got the remote from The Suit before anything terrible could happen. He wasn’t going to take any risks, not with Tony involved.

He was drove out of his thoughts when the door opened again.

“Tony?” Steve gasped. He turned around to be met not with his love, but with the man who shot him. With the lab coat off, he looked even more menacing.

“Not quite,” he sneered. “Come on, the boss wants to see you.” Steve had no choice but to obey.

\----------------------------------

Clint came too slowly, his eyes blurry and breathes coming in harsh pants. He tried to turn, groaning when his head started spinning. _What the hell?_

He tried to piece together what had happened. They were in a factory, looking for Steve and Tony. They found vibranium, but there was something wrong with it. A toxin? Since when was vibranium a toxic metal?

Clint blinked again, his eyes finally cooperating. Natasha and Sam lay passed out in front of him, a quick pulse check giving him comfort. Looking around, he found they were in the same small office that he had dragged them too, jacket still stuffed under the door. No one had found them.

There was a small window that Clint stumbled over too. The sun was still out. _Good. We haven’t lost that much – wait._ Looking at the sun again, Clint could see that it was closer to the horizon than when they got there. But he was still facing east, so it was still a sunrise. Clint froze. _Oh god. We’ve been here a whole day. At least._

Clint started to panic. They had lost so much time. Time that they needed desperately. For how long they’ve been out, Steve and Tony’s trail was definitely cold now. It would be almost impossible to find them – _if they are even still alive._ Clint shuddered. No, now was not the time for that kind of talk.

Walking back over to his teammates, he shook Natasha’s shoulder. “Nat? Nat, come on, rise and shine.” A small groan was enough for Clint, so he moved on to waking Sam.

“What the hell happened?” asked Sam, his head cradled in his unbroken arm.

“I’m not sure. The bad news is, is that we’ve lost an entire day. The worse new is, is that we’ve lost an entire day, and Steve and Tony are still out there. Come on, we’ve got work to do.”


	15. Chapter 15

Tony finished his last string of code. _Gorgeous._

This was it. This was their ticket out of there. All Tony would have to do is upload it into the mainframe and the whole system will be fried.

He leaned back in his chair, satisfied.

_We’re getting out of here, Steve._

Tony smiled, thinking of Steve’s sleeping form this morning, peaceful and angelic. At some point in the night, Tony had curled around Steve like an octopus, their limbs entwining. What warmed Tony’s heart more was that Steve seemed to reciprocate. His hands wrapped protectively around Tony, like a patriotic Iron Man suit, with his soft snores brushing against Tony’s hair. It was adorable. _God, how I hope I can wake up to him again._ Tony almost couldn’t pull himself away when the guards came from him.

Tony brushed the back of his hand down Steve’s face, smiling softy when the Captain grumbled and scrunched his nose. He kissed Steve’s full lips gently, not wanting to wake him up, before letting the guards pull him away.

That was hours ago. Now, Tony sat with his finished virus, planted on a simple zip disk. A guard walked in. “Tell your boss I’ve finished. I’ll give him the program as soon as he gives me Steve.”

The guard nodded, adding a simple “Right this way Mr. Stark.”

Tony thought they would bring him back to his cell with Steve. But he found himself turning into another doorway. Inside was a large room, littered with tarp covered boxes.

It wasn’t long before Steve was brought through the same door. Tony couldn’t help but smile at Steve, reassuring himself that he was still safe and alive.

Steve returned the smile easily, walking over to Tony. Relief poured over him as he felt Steve press his hand into the small of his back, soothing him. The brief moment of security was broken when The Suit walked into the room.

“Mr. Stark, my men tell me that you have finished Ultron.”

Tony glanced back at Steve before handing out the zip disk. “Right here. You know the deal. Let me upload this to the mainframe, then let Steve and I go.”

The Suit chuckled. “I’m sure this new Ultron project is a thing of beauty.” He paused, looking out at the boxes. “But this is where things get complicated.”

Steve stepped in front of Tony. “What do you mean? He did as you asked. We made a deal, now let us go.”

The Suit held a hand up. “Captain, let me explain. I don’t want you to upload your program into the mainframe, I want you to put it in the physical body.”

Tony’s ice went cold. _He won’t let me put it into the mainframe. No mainframe, no escape._ Tony tried to bargain. “Why? I pop the program in the mainframe, you can connect Ultron to many physical beings, not just one. World domination isn’t going to come from one Ultron.”

“No, no it does not. But I didn’t ask for world domination. The problem with the first Ultron was his connections to a mainframe. He was able to send himself anywhere, to any form, making him quite a pest. I don’t want that risk. I asked for a mindless soldier, something to do my bidding without the potential of an uprising. No, Mr. Stark, I want you to build me a singular form, _one_ Ultron.”

“Wait, _build?”_  Steve nearly shouted. “You asked Tony to make the Ultron project, and he did. He fulfilled his end of the bargain. You said nothing about building an actual body.”

“I asked Mr. Stark to recreate Ultron. That implies the body. Why you thought that we could have accomplished such a task without both Mr. Stark’s computer and engineering prowess is beyond me.”

Tony’s head was pounding. Uploading the virus into a singular body would do nothing. The program would do nothing, and The Suit would know something was wrong. That meant nothing good for him and Steve.

“I don’t understand what you could accomplish with a single Ultron.”

“Unlike most of the people you deal with Mr. Stark, I do not desire world domination. Seems like a hassle. Wealth, however, is what real men strive for.”

Tony scoffed. “Please. I’ve dealt with more men like you than I’d like to admit.”

The Suit stepped into Tony’s space, his men barely able to hold Steve from pouncing on their captor. “Now listen closely. You will build me the Ultron suit, with my vibranium. You will upload the system into the body, and then I will let you go.”

Steve glanced to the tarp covered boxes. _The tip about the vibranium was right._ Tony making another vibranium Ultron was not good news. From the look on Tony’s face it seemed that he agreed. _Something was wrong with Tony’s plan._ Steve pulled away from the armed guards, dragging Tony back against his chest.

The Suit walked over to the boxes, pulling the tarps off, revealing the vibranium. Steve felt Tony stiffen in his arms. The Suit gestured to the boxes. “Well, Mr. Stark? What do you think?”

When Tony didn’t respond, Steve asked, “Where did you get all this vibranium?”

“Steve,” he heard Tony whisper. “ _That’s not vibranium.”_

\----------------------------------

James Rhodes walked around the outskirts of the drop zone. “Anything?”

Wanda shook her head. “No, but something is not right.”

“I agree. I see nothing but chaos and destruction here,” Vision replied.

Rhodes groaned. “Yep, we’re definitely in the right spot then. Come on; let’s go find ‘em.”

\----------------------------------

“Do you think it’s safe to go out there?” asked Natasha, gesturing to the door.

Clint shrugged. “I’m not sure. I shut the box before we came in here, but who knows if the gas is still lingering.”

“Well, we can’t fit out that window, so we’re going to have to risk it,” answered Sam. “If you feel lightheaded, run for the door.” He opened the door slowly, and stepped out.

The factory floor looked exactly how it had been yesterday, abandoned minus the dead guards hidden in the trees, and the crate of the toxic vibranium. Clint let himself take a few gulps of air in. Looking to his teammates he asked, “Everyone ok?”

Getting nods in return, he decided that the air was safe enough. _For now._

“Well now what?”

Clint turned to Sam. “Now we find Steve and Tony. We’ll have to backtrack to the other side of the fork in the road, and hope that they’re still there.”

“What do we do about this?” Natasha looked back to the vibranium in the glass case. “We don’t even know what this is.”

“We don’t have time to figure it out. We’ve lost a whole day; we need to find Steve and Tony. We can deal with this later Come on.”

Clint started to cover back up the glass case when a voice stopped him.

“Uh, hello?”

Clint spun around, gun ready.

The man shot his hands in the air. “Oh, sorry. Didn’t mean to frighten you; the door was open so we just let ourselves in.” Behind him, a small grouping of men formed.

Clint said nothing, eyes tracking over the newcomers. The first man was small, with wire framed glasses, resembling an old librarian. Not someone who should be out trekking through the jungle. He couldn’t see any weapons on any of his followers, but that didn’t make him feel any better.

The man continued. “So sorry we’re late. We took a wrong turn at the fork. Luckily the road just curved around the entire encampment, bringing us back here. You know, you should really have signs.”

Clint’s glanced at Natasha. _The left side of the fork didn’t go anywhere._ The captors couldn’t have taken Steve and Tony that way, it would have led them straight back here. _Then where are they?_

Clint finally broke the silence. “I’m sorry, who are you?”

The man looked surprised. “Your boss did not tell you I was coming? We’re in the middle of a serious business deal.” He pointed to the vibranium.

Clint grinned. “My apologies, sometimes people tend to forget to fill in the new guy. My boss isn’t here yet. Why don’t you fill me in on your little transaction?”

Behind him, he heard Natasha and Sam’s gun click. _Finally, a lucky break._

 


	16. Chapter 16

“What do you mean, it’s not vibranium?” Steve asked, looking at Tony.

The Suit chuckled. “You have a good eye, Mr. Stark.” He walked up to the cases containing the metal. “It took me a while, but I’ve finally done it. I’ve created my own pyrite; my own fools gold.”

“You made fake vibranium? What good does that do?”

The Suit gestured to Steve. “Come, Captain. See for yourself. I think my metal might surprise you.” Steve walked forward to get a better look, only to be grabbed by Tony.

“Wait, Steve don’t! Don’t touch it.”

Steve saw the fear in Tony’s eyes, and allowed Tony to pull him away. “Tony, what is it?”

“That’s not vibranium. The structure- it isn’t right.” Steve could see The Suit grin at them. “But there’s something else,” Tony continued. “Look at it in the light. There’s a yellowish tint to it. Vibranium doesn’t do that. Whatever that is, it can’t be good.”

“The term you’re looking for is _metal carbonyl,_ Mr. Stark.”

Tony gasped and pulled Steve farther across the room. “Why the _hell_ are you screwing around with that?”

Steve looked back at Tony. “What’s wrong? What does it do?”

Tony was shaking his head. “Steve, what doesn’t it do? Metal carbonyl is toxic. Breathing it in is bad enough, but if you touch it? It’s absolutely _lethal._ Like death, lethal.”

The Suit chuckled. “You really are a genius, Mr. Stark. Yes, I made vibranium duds covered in metal carbonyl.”

“Why? You can’t expect me to make an Ultron out of this. I’m not going near that stuff,” Tony retorted.

“Oh, no, of course not. You will make the suit out of the real deal.”

“Then why all this? Is this another scare tactic?” Steve asked.

“No, not quite. I’m sure Mr. Stark will understand. I’m just a simple business man. One small man with a big dream. I need vibranium, but as you know, recent events have put the fight for vibranium very difficult. I don’t have many resources, but the ones that I do, I used to my advantage. Why go look for vibranium when the real vibranium can come to me?”

Steve furrowed his brow. “I don’t understand.”

Tony scoffed. “It’s what he said, Steve. He’s a business man. A sleazy business man with an equally sleazy scheme.” When Steve continued to stare at him, Tony continued. “Steve, the only way someone can validate vibranium is by comparing it to another pure sample.” He glared back at the suit. “He put the word out that he had vibranium and that it was on market. He’d get potential clients, and they would come out to him to validate it, comparing it to their own samples. But when they go to validate his vibranium, they’ll touch the metal carbonyl, and well, game over. They die, leaving him with the real samples, his fake samples, and the money that would have been used to purchase his samples. _Why go look for vibranium when the real vibranium can come to him?_  It’s a power play, Steve.”

Steve gaped at The Suit. “Son of a bitch.”

The Suit patted the glass cases before covering them back up. “I’m glad you approve. I’m meeting with my client upstairs today. If everything goes well, you’ll have all the vibranium you need to start Ultron’s body later tonight.”

Steve shook his head. “No. Absolutely not. I’m not going to sit idly by while you kill a man upstairs.”

“Of course not, dear Captain. I expect you to sit idly by when I kill a man in front of you. I want you and Mr. Stark to be there.” Steve was about to protest again when The Suit tapped his left breast pocket. _The remote._

Steve looked at Tony with defeat in his eyes, before nodding slowly. “Fine.”

Steve and Tony let themselves be led out of the door and into another one, leading to a staircase. The Suit walked up first, but Tony noticed that the rest of the guards stayed down below. _There must be more upstairs._ Tony grabbed Steve close, whispering into his ear. “Steve, what do we do? I built a _virus,_ not Ultron. Without connecting to the mainframe, I don’t have much of an escape plan. We’re going upstairs- maybe we can just make a run for it!”

Steve spun around, eyes blazing. “No! No, Tony, it’s too dangerous. He would see us.”

“So? We can outrun an out of shape man in a suit.”

Steve sighed. “Not with the ammo he’s got.”

Tony was about continue when they find themselves at the top of the stairs. The Suit turned back to them. “Remember, gentlemen. Behave.” He looked back and turned the handle, swinging the door open. Although door was a loose term. The so called door, was actually the backside of a filing cabinet, that opened into a small office.

Tony rolled his eyes. “How dramatic.”

“Come on, my client should already been here.” They walked out onto an abandoned factory floor with even more tarp covered vibranium. “Ah, here he is.”

“Excuse me, Mr. Evans! I hope we didn’t keep you waiting long.”

“Oh, of course not, I just got here,” the man drawled turning around slowly. “I hear you got some vibranium for me.”

Tony almost sobbed in relief. The man turned around, suit jacket snug tightly around him, not fitting correctly. He squinted through his wire frame glasses, almost as though they were doing more harm than good.

_Clint mother fucking Barton._


	17. Chapter 17

_“My apologies, sometimes people tend to forget to fill in the new guy. My boss isn’t here yet. Why don’t you fill me in on your little transaction?”_

_Clint had found their ticket in. He slowly tucked his gun away after checking the Natasha and Sam still had theirs at the ready._

_The man in the glasses looked at them warily. “Ah, yes. Umm, I’m Mr. Evans. Your boss got in contact with me to buy your vibranium? I brought my own samples to validate it before we can make any purchases if that’s alright.”_

_Clint gaped in realization. Whoever was in charge of this whole operation was running a major scheme: using the fake vibranium to get the cash, the real metal, and dispose of the competition in one big swoop._

_“Of course,” Clint returned, not missing a beat. “Quick question. Uh, your men?” Clint gestured to the companions of Mr. Evans._

_Mr. Evans threw his hands up. “Oh, don’t worry about them. They aren’t armed, just like you asked,” giving Clint a small nod._

_“Oh, good. This will be easy then,” smiled Clint. Before Mr. Evans could respond, Natasha and Sam opened fired on the rest of the group, taking them down easily._

_Mr. Evans fell to the floor in the fetal position. “What the hell! This wasn’t part of- ”_

_He was cut off by Clint grabbing him by the collar and pushing him up against the nearest wall. “Listen up, asshole. All I wanted was to have a nice weekend with my baby boy, but somehow I’ve found myself tracking through this shit filled jungle, looking for the two most reckless people on the face of this green Earth.”_

_Mr. Evans began to stammer but Clint cut him off again. “I have been shot at, drugged, and had about three too many midlife crises in the past two days. I was supposed to be building a crib while eating my wife’s signature pie, but no. I spent the night on a floor harder than the ground, ruining by back, and I should know how the hard the ground is, I was in a fucking traveling circus!”_

_Sam looked at the trembling mess that was Mr. Evans, then back at Natasha. “Umm, should we?”_

_Natasha cut him off. “Let him work. Everyone has their own interrogation techniques.” They turned back, watching Clint continue to rescind Mr. Evans into a pile of mush._

_“Easy, pal. I've spent a large portion of life learning the best ways to get information. But, hey, no worries! I’m just a simple kid from Iowa. I hear I’m easy to talk to.” With that, Clint flicked a knife out of his belt._

_Mr. Evans heaved out a sob. “Please, don’t! I’ll tell you anything!”_

_Clint huffed out a laugh. “Well how about that.”_

_“Listen. I don’t know much. He contacted me out of the blue! Just said he wanted to get rid of his vibranium and to meet him here this morning! I don’t even know his name! Please, please don’t hurt me!”_

_Clint sighed letting Evans fall to the ground. Turning back to Natasha and Sam, he said, “Get rid of the bodies. We have a business meeting to go to.”_

_Sam nodded to Evans. “What about this guy?”_

_“Keep him alive. Who knows how many other vibranium dealers he knows about,” answered Natasha._

_Clint looked back down at Evans before dragging him outside to the Jeep, handcuffing him to the steering wheel. “Looks like it’s your lucky day, Evans. As of right now, I am putting you under arrest for the illegal bartering of vibranium, and probably a bunch of other things. But let me make something very clear. When all of this is over and I happen to come out of this with two of my best friends in coffins? You can rest assured I’ll be gunning for you, as well as any bastards in that building I may have missed. You may not be the head of this operation, but even a simple pawn has the potential to take down the king and queen. Cuz right now? I’m not an Avenger. I’m not Hawkeye. I’m Clint Barton. I’m the trained killer who will not hesitate to rip you to pieces for putting my family in danger. There is nowhere you can run, no one you can hide behind; there is just the future of me ending you as slowly and as painfully as I want. And I’m a sniper so you can imagine how patient I can be. You better start praying, Mr. Evans. After all, I could kill you today.”_

_Clint glared down at Evans, his blue eyes storming. Evans had turned so pale, Clint thought he might have actually killed him right there. “Alright, then. Good talk.”_

_Clint started to walk back inside before spinning around again. “Oh, I almost forgot.” Evans cowered even further into the Jeep, whimpering. Clint walked back up to him. “I’m gonna need to borrow your glasses.”_

\----------------------------------

“What do you mean, you need backup? Are you under attack?”

Rhodes sighed. “No, but right now, I’m looking at what I think used to be a building, there are dead soldiers everywhere, not to mention some of Iron Man.”

“You found Stark?” asked Hill.

“Nope, just a leg joint. Hill this isn’t good. I’ve seen places in the Middle East that looked better than this.”

Hill looked over to Fury, responding when she got a head nod. “All right. Keep looking. We’re sending agents to your location.”

James Rhodes looked over the destroyed landscape, holding the Iron Man piece in his hand. _Tony, where the hell are you?_

\----------------------------------

Clint had to bite his tongue to stop the tears threatening to form. _They’re alive._

The sniper’s eyes tracked all over Steve and Tony. _They look horrible. God, I could’ve stopped this._ Clint couldn’t help his eyes from softening. _Please forgive me._

Steve and Tony looked terrible. Clint had never seen fatigue on Steve, even when he would wake up for his runs at some god awful hour. But right now, Steve looked at him with sunken eyes and cheeks, covered in grime and _yep, that’s definitely blood. At least they gave him a damn shirt._ Clint almost decked the guy when saw the bandage on Steve’s leg, not to mention the padding around his chest that could only mean a bullet wound. And Tony? Clint had seen photos of him after Afghanistan, even after the palladium. But that was nothing compared to how he was now. Tony looked as if he had walked through hell and back. And that was being generous.

Clint glared at the man in the suit. _You will not leave this warehouse alive._

“Mr. Evans?”

Clint startled. “Yes, I’m sorry what?”

The Suit looked over at Steve and Tony. “Ah, I see you recognize our special guests.”

Clint grit his teeth. “I may have heard of them. Friends of yours?”

The Suit laughed. “Yea, something like that. They’re just helping with a little project of mine.” He walked over to pat Tony’s shoulder.

When Tony flinched, Clint’s vision went red. “All right, I’ve had enough of this.” Clint was about to wrap his hands around The Suit’s neck when a small gasp from Steve stopped him.

Glancing back over, Clint could see Steve looking at him, _pleading_ at him. _Something was wrong._ Why would Captain America and Iron Man remain being held captive by one man?

“I’m sorry?” Clint had forgotten that The Suit was still there.

“I mean, shouldn’t we be getting right down to the deal? I believe you had some vibranium for me?” Clint recovered.

“Ah, yes, of course. You can tell your men to bring your samples inside for the validation.” The Suit eyed him suspiciously.

“That won’t be necessary.”

This time it was The Suit that stumbled. “I’m sorry, what?”

Clint smiled. “Screw the validation. We’re both business men, and that mutual respect goes a long way. Let’s just skip the validation, and I’ll just pay you now. You take cash or you want me to write you a check?”

Tony couldn’t help but grin. _No one can outwit Clint Barton._

“Mr. Evans, please, a validation would not be a problem at all if- ”

“Don’t worry about it!” Clint clapped his hand on The Suit’s back. “Those things take forever, that’s why I didn’t even bother bringing my own samples. Now come on, show me my metal.”

Steve watched as a bead of sweat rolled down The Suit’s neck. Tension was clouding the air. Without the real vibranium, which Clint had probably taken care of, Tony couldn’t make a body for Ultron. That was good news. The bad news was that Steve had no idea how The Suit will respond. Steve kept looking to his breast pocket, waiting for him to pull out the remote. Clint seemed to have gotten his plea to keep the act up for Tony’s sake, but they were walking on thin ice here.

The Suit pinched his nose with his fingers. “Uh, yes, fine of course.” He turned to the tarped boxes but stopped. “Actually, your full order is downstairs. Follow me, Mr. Evans. Once I see that you’re satisfied, my men can bring it back up and load it for you.”

 _Downstairs? That wasn’t part of the plan._ “Lead the way,” said Clint.

Taking one last look around the building, Clint let himself be led down the secret door with The Suit, Steve, and Tony. 


	18. Chapter 18

Natasha and Sam looked at the scene below them. Hiding in the shadows of the catwalk, Natasha could hear Sam’s sigh of relief once Steve and Tony showed up. _They’re still alive._

Sam shifted, getting ready to move, but she stopped him. “Wait,” she whispered. “We don’t know the whole situation. Going down there guns blazing could mean bad news for Steve, Tony or Clint.”

_“All right, I’ve had enough of this.”_

Natasha’s head snapped up. _Show time._ She waited for Clint to take down the man in the suit.

And waited.

 _What the hell, Clint. Get your head out of your ass._ Natasha’s brow furrowed, trying to figure out why Steve and Tony’s captor was still living.

“Nat, what’s going on down there?” asked Sam. “I thought that was the signal?”

“Somethings wrong.” She looked at her teammates below, locking in on Steve’s shattered expression. “We’re missing something. Steve and Tony wouldn’t let themselves be held hostage by one man unless there was something bigger going on.”

Natasha watched as they disappeared into the small office below them. “Come on, we need to follow them.”

\----------------------------------

Tony’s heart was pounding. _What the hell is going on?_

He had been so ready for Clint to kick The Suit’s ass. If Clint was here, that meant there were no other guards that could threaten to hurt Steve. They were safe, they could go home!

But nothing happened.

Clint exchanged a look with Steve and that was it. The charade continued.

Tony had always envied how Clint and Steve could do that. How they could have an entire conversation without speaking at all. They had become easy friends, those two. Clint recovering from Loki’s mind control, and Steve recovering from a seventy year ice nap left the two more than a little lost and looking for security. Steve had always said it was Clint’s sharp wit, reminding him of Bucky, and an easy smile that always made Steve comfortable. Clint said Steve reminded him of an older brother he once had; someone to look out for him, to make sure be was ok, to make sure Clint was wanted.

Clint always knew what Steve needed. Whether it be from a perfectly executed battle plan, or just help locating his sketch pad, Clint was there. Or when Clint would run into the bathroom, checking the color of his eyes in the mirror, Steve was there with his solid reassurances and a glass of warm milk.

Tony had been jealous at first, thought the two were head over heels for each other. He sulked in his lab for weeks until a very long and painful conversation with Natasha cleared the air. Maybe it was the way Steve would chastise Clint for eating too loudly, or for jumping off too many buildings. Or maybe it was the way Clint would look at Steve at the end of a mission with a proud smile as if to say ‘look at me, I did good, right?’

Steve and Clint were like the real life version of Band of Brothers. How their first encounter on the Tricarrier was a simple nod, but it meant so much more. A trust between soldiers, the unspoken bond; the whole ‘I don’t know who you are, but you’re my brother. I’ve got your back, you’ve got mine, and I’ll take a bullet for you’ kind of thing. Tony noticed that Clint would always sit to the left of Steve, effectively able to watch his front and back, constantly scanning. Or how he would always look at Steve after Fury gave Clint an order, checking for the Captain’s approval.

It was positively endearing, and it made Tony’s heart melt. But it didn’t just stop with Steve. Tony couldn’t count the number of times Clint would stay up with him in his lab until the wee hours of the morning. Clint would crack jokes that got more exasperated sighs than laughs, or play fetch with Dummy for hours. But he would never leave until Tony did. Tony asked him about it once, how Clint didn’t need to keep him company. Clint just shrugged, and added a simple “ _hey, I sleep when you sleep.”_

Tony knew that Clint would restock the Poptarts for Thor, or have herbal tea ready for Bruce for after a ‘code green’. JARVIS once told Tony that Clint stood vigil outside Natasha’s room after she had a hard mission, just to make sure no one would disturb her.

It occurred to Tony that out of everyone in their misfit gang that Clint might be the most broken. And Tony had survived throwing a nuke into space. Tony had read Clint’s files. How he grew up in the circus, not having much family, while the family he did have didn’t do him any favors. On the way to Sokovia, Clint had confided in him that part of the real reason he didn’t tell anyone about Laura was that part of him expected her to take off one day. He said that he was glad Wanda never got to hex him because it would just show him, locked in a room and all alone.  

Clint could put a mother bear’s protectiveness to shame, hell even Captain America’s. That’s what made Clint so dangerous. Many people always asked how such a normal guy would even be considered to be an Avenger. But the team knew better. Clint had once defended Tony and his fallen suit against thirty-seven HYDRA agents single handedly before the rest of the team got there. He even let himself get punched into a wall by the Hulk when he got too close to Natasha. No one could ever get within five feet of them without approval from Clint.

Tony had expected Clint to end this right now; he could see the fire blazing in his eyes. Clint was ready for a fight. But now, The Suit had all three of them walking back into their prison, meaning Tony must have missed something. Clint thought they were still in danger, meaning he wouldn’t make a move until they were. But The Suit was taking Clint down to see the rest of the fake vibranium.

Tony couldn’t let Clint get near the metal carbonyl, it’ll kill him. _I need to get to the mainframe._ They had reached the bottom of the stairs that led to the hallway again. The far door led back to their cell, another to the room with the metal carbonyl, and the other to Tony’s makeshift lab, which could only mean that the mainframe was through the last door. _Time to act._

One more look at Steve and Clint, and Tony found himself calling out to The Suit. “I’m sorry, excuse me, Mr. – you know, you never told us your name! I know, I know, the whole ‘who I am is not important deal’, but I can’t just call you guy, right? You know, you look like a Brutus, can I call you Brutus?”

Steve felt Clint stiffen next to him.

The Suit sighed. “No you may not. What is it, Mr. Stark?”

“Well here’s the thing. I need to talk to you. In private. About my little project?”

“Can’t it wait? I have to show our guest to his vibranium.”

 “Oh this will only take a second, I swear. Pinky promise.” Tony flashed The Suit a winning smile blatantly ignoring the confused looks from Steve.

The Suit sighed again. “Fine, Mr. Stark.” He opened the door to the metal carbonyl ushering Steve and Clint inside. “Will you excuse us gentlemen? One moment please.”

“Oh sure, not a problem,” Clint returned with a wink, giving Tony a small nod before the door separated them.

Clint turned around to see another large room filled with more boxes, probably filled with that toxic metal. _Oh shit._ Looking around, Clint could see guards, some of which he had failed to deal with out in the forest. _Please don’t remember me._

When no one started shooting, Clint breathed a sigh of relief. A small tapping against a railing got his attention. Steve.

Glancing over at him, Clint watched as Steve stared into the distance, choosing to look anywhere but Clint. _Subtle, Captain,_ Clint couldn’t help think. But Clint noticed that the tapping wasn’t random. _Morse code._

Honing in, Clint listened to the constant rhythm, picking up on Steve asking, “ _Status?”_

 _“Nat and Sam still upstairs,”_ Clint returned, making sure none of the guards picked up on their conversation.

“ _What’s our next move? What is Tony doing?”_

Clint couldn’t help but smile. _“Something stupid. Get ready.”_


	19. Chapter 19

_“You know, you look like a Brutus, can I call you Brutus?”_

_Brutus._

As soon as Clint heard those words, he knew it was game on.

Clint always loved hanging out with Tony, the engineer always proving to be a fun time. Many a times Clint and Tony had just raided the tower’s liquor cabinet, letting the alcohol chase their depression and lonely nights away.

One of those nights had let to their obnoxious code names. Tony had been complaining over Steve’s ridiculous army tactics. _More like gushing,_ Clint had thought. Steve had a plan for everything. The team’s training sessions consisted of hours upon hours of Steve’s drillings, making sure that the team had an option for any possible outcome.

Clint and Tony, children that they were, decided that they would take on the job of naming Steve’s tactics. From ‘The Banana Split’ to ‘Little Black Dress’, Clint and Tony had a name for everything.

Including Brutus.

Much like Caesar, this plan involved a little backstabbing. Tony was going to betray Clint and they would use it to their advantage.

\----------------------------------

“What is it?” whispered The Suit, full of venom.

“Don’t you recognize him?!” exclaimed Tony, eyes wide.

The Suit froze. “No. Why?”

Tony rolled his eyes. “That’s an ex-SHIELD agent. We’ve ran into him a couple times when dealing with Fury. This is bad news.”

The Suit looked at Tony suspiciously. “You’re lying.”

“Why would I? You told me that I needed to cooperate to keep Steve safe. This is me cooperating! SHIELD’s flown off the handle after Washington; he’s a threat to me too! Do you think I want anyone like him near Steve?! They tried to kill him before! I need you to get rid of him.”

The Suit said nothing, Tony continued. “He’s probably here for my Ultron program. Giving it to SHIELD would be worse than giving it to you. If he’s here, who knows how many others are crawling around upstairs. Get rid of him or I destroy the program!”

“No!” shouted The Suit. He sighed. “You’re right. I’ll dispose of him. If you delete that program I’ll _end_ you.”

“Well I can’t go back there in you! He could kill me just to get the program! Get rid of him first and then I’ll give you the program. I’ll wait in here.” Tony gestured to the final door, before opening it. _Score._

Tony was right. Inside the small room was the main set of computers, with two guards, looking over the security feeds. _The mainframe._

“Fine. You two, watch him. I’ll take care of this,” said The Suit, before slamming the door.

Tony turned out, grinning at the two guards. “In the words of a very wise man: before we get started, does anyone want to get out?”

\----------------------------------

The Suit burst back through the door. Glaring angrily at Clint, he marched over to his soldiers, whispering into their ears.

Clint smirked. _It worked._

With the guards distracted, Steve walked up to Clint.

“Clint, what the hell is going on?”

“Relax. Tony’s taken care of it. The most of the guards will leave, and Nat and Sam will take care of them. We’ll have the upper hand. I’m getting you out of here.”

True to Clint’s word, four of the guards ran out of the room and back up the stairs, leaving them with two others and The Suit.

The Suit rubbed his temples, pacing back and forth.

“Is there a problem?” asked Clint.

“No, no, of course not, Mr. Evans. Please, if you’ll join me.” Clint walked over to where The Suit was standing, and let him take the tarp off another glass box full of fake vibranium. As Clint got closer, he whispered into his ear, “I know who you are. Tony Stark just sold you out. You and you’re little SHIELD friends won’t make it out of here alive.”

Clint started to answer when the power went out. He beamed. _There you go, Tin Man._

When the emergency lights came back on, The Suit screamed, “What the hell was that?!”

Getting one final OK nod from Steve, Clint grinned back at him. “Well that’s where you’re confused, my friend. _You_ are the one that won’t be making it out of here alive.” With that, Clint grabbed The Suit’s hair, and slammed his head down on the glass box.

Steve sprang into action. Clint would kill The Suit; it will finally be over. Taking the first guard down in surprise, Steve stood quickly to throw a chair at the second. “ _You.”_

Steve quickly tackled the man, thighs pinning his arms down at his sides. “This is for shooting me.” Steve punched him. “This is for whatever hell you put Tony through.” Another punch. “This is for attacking Clint.” And another. “This is for being part of the reason I’m in this hell.” Another punch.  “And this? This is for me. People tell me I’m a righteous man, but even I have my limits. It’s time to pay for your sins.” And with one final punch, the guard went down.

Clint grabbed The Suit’s lapels, pulling him close. “I want you to look at me. I want you to look at me and know that this is the last face you’ll ever see. The man who took your life from you. The man who stopped you, who is the reason you failed. The man who will look down at you in your final moments with one simple message: _burn in hell.”_

Clint pulled The Suit to the left only to open the glass box and threw him inside, latching down the sides. He stared down at him, eyes blazing as The Suit started to gasp for fresh air, pounding on the sides. The glass box was barely able to muffle his shouts as the metal carbonyl came in contact with his skin.

Steve watched The Suit struggle in the box only to see him reach into his breast pocket.

“Clint, kill him!”

Clint reached for his gun, just in time to watch The Suit press a small remote.

Steve screamed.

Time froze.

\----------------------------------

Four soldiers ran up the stairs only to be gunned down.

\----------------------------------

Natasha Romanoff walked down the stairs finally ready for an escape only to hear a cry of anguish.

\----------------------------------

Sam Wilson watched Natasha take off only to realize they hadn’t won.

\----------------------------------

The Suit felt his life leave him only to smile one last time.

\----------------------------------

Clint Barton watched life leave The Suit’s eyes only to hate himself more for what he’d let happen.

\----------------------------------

The Vision searched for his friends only to find dead bodies and man knocked out in a Jeep.

\----------------------------------

James Rhodes flew up to the last warehouse only to be met with pleas for help.

\----------------------------------

Wanda Maximoff waited out for the new quinjets only to shout for a medical team.

\----------------------------------

Maria Hill put her head in her hands only to hear more bad news.

\----------------------------------

Nick Fury tried to dream of a simpler time only to come up blank.

\----------------------------------

Tony Stark turned to leave only to collapse on the floor.

\----------------------------------

Steve Rogers ran to find his love only to cry in anguish again.


	20. Chapter 20

_Tony bristled as Captain America ripped him a new one on the quinjet. Apparently saying that your plan was to attack didn’t sit well with the national icon. Neither was destroying a forest. Of course it was Tony’s luck that his personal hero would turn out to be a nark. He rolled his eyes again, as Rogers carried on about respecting authority. *I hate this man.*_

_Steve stormed out of the lab, fuming over Stark’s quips. How he could treat such a potential catastrophe as a joke boggled Steve’s mind. Stark was nothing like Howard; he puts a stain on the Stark name. Tony Stark was going to get himself killed one day from pure stupidity and arrogance. *I hate this man.*_

_Steve watched as Stark gasped for breath beneath him, already cracking a joke. Steve couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped his lips. No one had been able to bring a smile to Steve’s lips since he had woken up. He could not have been more wrong about Stark. Steve had stood on his soap box for years, defending the little guy against bullies, only to turn into the bully himself. Steve smiled down at Stark- at Tony. *I was wrong about this man.*_

_Tony stood in awe as the Captain stomped away from Fury. No one ever talked back to Fury. Tony never expected anyone too, especially not Captain Stick Up His Ass. Fury had been trying to get the Cap to stay on sight after New York. Something about how he wasn’t stable enough. The Captain just turned around with a simple “This is the second invasion that I’ve helped stop. I think I deserve a vacation. I don’t need your permission, son.* With that, Steve walked through the doors, leaving a shocked Fury behind. *I was wrong about this man.*_

_Steve sighed as he tried to reach the door. After New York, the Avengers had new found fame; people were everywhere, always swamping them to get close. He turned back around when he heard a tiny giggling. Behind him, a smiling Tony Stark was teaching a small boy the proper way to hold his toy Captain America shield. “There we go. Gotta hold it up high so we can see the star, little man. Is Captain America your favorite?” The boy smiled shyly, hiding behind his shield. Tony chuckled, ruffling his hair. “Mine too, buddy. Mine too.” Steve often forgot that the Tony Stark portrayed in the media was not the Tony Stark he knew. The real Tony Stark. *God, I love this man.*_

_Tony stared blankly across the room, his suit still dripping yet from his recent swim. He had just spent the past hour scouring the lake for Steve’s shield. He brought it back proudly, only to be met with Steve’s still face in a hospital bed. Tony had been furious when he finally caught wind at what was happening, mostly as himself for catching on too late. Steve should never be lying in a hospital bed. He had only snuck in once Wilson had slipped out, shield in one hand, plane balloon in another. Steve would laugh; he always laughed at his jokes. They said Steve had let the Winter Soldier do this to him; letting Bucky beat him, refusing to leave his best friend. Steve was selfless like that. Steve was stupid like that. *God, I love this man.*_

\----------------------------------

Steve burst into the mainframe room. He cried out when he saw his beloved Tony still on the ground. One of the two guards in the room was still conscious; Steve didn’t hesitate, quickly snapping the man’s neck.

“TONY!” Steve collapsed next to him, pulling Tony gently into his arms.

“-eve?” Tony’s eyes darted around until locking onto Steve’s worried blue ones. “Some-something’s wrong,” he gasped, clutching his chest.

“Shh, Tony. Stop talking,” Steve said, brushing Tony’s hair out of his face. “Help is coming, I promise. Just keep your eyes on me.” Steve vaguely caught Natasha’s red hair flash into the room, only to run back out. “Natasha’s going to get help. You’re going to be ok; I’m going to get you out of here.”

Tony tried to respond, only to be cut off by a coughing attack. Steve helped Tony lean to the side, tears starting to roll down his cheeks when he saw blood leave Tony’s lips. Tony whimpered in between his pants, clutching at Steve weakly.

Steve was openly crying now, pulling Tony even closer to him, whispering fiercely into his ear. “Shh, I’ve got you, darling. No one can hurt you anymore.” Tony’s eyes fluttered, causing Steve to jostle Tony’s shoulder. “No, no, no, keep your eyes on me! Help’s coming, but I need you to stay awake, so we can go home. So we can go out to dinner, just like you wanted. I’ll let you buy out the restaurant and fly in dinner from Brooklyn. I’ll even let you pay for dinner. As long as I get to hold your hand. As long as you let me take you to Central Park just so I can kiss you in my favorite sketching spot. As long as you let me hold you after a long business trip, or let me wake up next to you every morning. _As long as you let me love you.”_  

Tony smiled weakly, his usually pearly white teeth stained red. “For you, Cap? Anything.” Steve felt a sob leave him as he pushed his face into Tony’s hair. He could barely hear him as Tony continued. “Steve… I-I… I….”

Steve looked back up only to be met with closed eyelids instead of Tony’s brilliant brown orbs. “Tony? Tony, sweetheart, open your eyes for me.” Steve started shaking his shoulders, each one getting a little more desperate. “Tony! Tony, please don’t do this to me! Tony! TONY!!!”

Steve broke, hysterics taking over him. He felt someone try and pull him away from Tony, but he fought back madly, trying to reach back for his fallen teammate. He could hear people call his name but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered anymore. He didn’t feel, couldn’t feel. Steve screamed himself hoarse until a familiar darkness tugged him back down into nothingness.

\----------------------------------

Steve woke up again in a hospital bed cold and alone. He recognized the room. He was in the medical ward back at Avengers headquarters. This time he didn’t cry out for Tony, looking for his love. Steve knew where he was.

Or where he wasn’t.

He heard doctors ask him questions, inquiring about his health, but he didn’t respond. They asked if it hurt anywhere, how he was healing, if he felt any pain.

Steve felt nothing.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, staring out his window. Minutes, hours, days. It didn’t matter. Steve had refused any visitors, not wanting to face his team.

“You can go home today. If you want, of course.” Steve hadn’t even heard the doctor come in.

Steve turned, but didn’t respond. “I mean, your body is completely healed. Physically that is,” the doctor continued. “But Captain you must know that you aren’t well. You need help. Mr. Stark- ”

“Please.” Steve’s voice was harsh from disuse.

“I’m sorry?” returned the doctor.

“Please, just- just don’t tell me about… him. I- I can’t…” Steve broke off with a quiet moan into his hands.

“Oh, um, forgive me, Captain. He’s just worried, you know? We all are.”

Steve froze. Looking back at the doctor, he asked, “What did you say?”

“Mr. Stark. He keeps asking about you. We don’t know what’s wrong with you; I don’t know what to tell him.”

Steve felt his legs give out from under him. “Mr. Stark. Tony. _Tony’s alive?”_

“Well, yes, of course, why- .” The doctor’s eyes widened. “You didn’t know.”

“But- but how?! His lung was punctured! I saw him die,” whispered Steve, still in disbelief. 

The doctor sighed, pulling Steve back up. “No it didn’t, and no you didn’t.” When Steve said nothing, the doctor continued. “Captain, you had to be subdued when the medical team got to Mr. Stark; you wouldn’t let anyone near him. When we finally got you out of the way, we were successfully able to get him to surgery on time and save his life.”

The doctor led Steve back over to his bed. “His lung?”

“Wasn’t punctured. It should have been with the device we found while in surgery. But it failed. Something due to an interruption of some kind.” _Tony’s virus._ Tony never half assed anything. When he created the virus, he made sure he could take out the cameras, doors, as well as any frequencies the men might have used to communicate. Including the frequency between the remote and Tony.

“But, I don’t understand. He was bleeding out in my arms, he- ,” but the doctor cut him off again.

“I don’t know if you realize what you and Mr. Stark endured this past week. You might be superheroes, but it seems that you have forgotten that you are still only human. Mr. Stark’s tussle with the guards in the mainframe definitely did no favors for his stitches, and of course that second guard also gave him a pretty nasty head wound. Mr. Stark just ripped a couple of stitches and passed out from a concussion. Easy fix.”

 Steve’s mind was whirling. Heart racing and body trembling, he asked, “ _Where is he?”_

Steve sprinted down the hall, pushing anyone and anything out of his way. Finally reaching Tony’s door, he rushed inside. His voice caught in his throat as he looked across the room. Tony sat small and frail in the hospital bed, not even looking up from the tablet in his lap. His head was still wrapped in some gauze, the bruises on his body in various stages on healing.

“Have you figured out what’s wrong with him yet?”

It was the most beautiful thing Steve had ever heard.

“Well he’s head over heels for you, and so far it’s been nothing but a nuisance,” Steve smiled.

Tony’s head snapped up, eyes wide with disbelief. “ _Steve?”_

Steve sprinted the last few steps to Tony’s bedside, bringing their lips crashing together. There was no hesitation; both of their tongues tangled around each other, hands twining in the other’s hair.

Tony finally broke off, gasping for air. “Where were you? I woke up, and- and they said something was wrong, and I- ”

Steve cut him off by bringing his fingers to Tony’s lips. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. They were here; they were safe. _They were together._

Steve blinked up at Tony with watery eyes. “I love you.”

“I’ll ruin you,” Tony whispered back, his fingers idly tracing Steve’s growing beard.

Steve caught both of Tony’s hands, kissing each one. “You already have. I could never, _will never,_ want anyone else but you Anthony Stark. You’ve bewitched me.”

Tony let out a small chuckle, a few tears flowing over his smiling cheeks. “Alright then. Let’s drive off this cliff together, Thelma.” He leaned forward and kissed Steve gently. “I love you too.”


	21. Chapter 21

_Three Weeks Later_

“You know, for buying out the restaurant, I thought the waiter would be a lot more civil,” Tony quipped.

Steve huffed out an amused laugh, grabbing Tony’s fingers, pulling him along the street.

“Yes, god forbid someone get a little flustered when you insult their hairpiece.”

“He was asking for it,” argued Tony, leaning into Steve’s warmth. They wandered until Steve started dragging Tony through Central Park.

Tony rolled his eyes. “You know Steve, we’re gonna have to talk about your little kink here. Not that I’m complaining but- ”

Tony was cut off by a strong pair of lips on his. He sighed happily into it, letting his mouth open for Steve’s curious tongue. Tony could have stayed there forever; Steve plundering his mouth, muscular arms trapping Tony into his chest was absolute heaven.

Steve pulled away, gasping for air. “You better not be complaining. I’m just getting started.” Tony gazed up into Steve’s stormy blue eyes darkened by lust, and grinned.

_Hell yes._

It wasn’t long until the two were at it in the elevator of the tower, lips more attacking than kissing. Steve backed Tony into the far corner, his hands grabbing not so subtly at his ass. Reaching down further, Steve was able to hoist Tony up, making a noise of approval when Tony immediately wrapped his legs around his middle.

Feeling a little adventurous, Steve ground their hips together. Tony had to pull his lips away as a choked out moan escaped his lips, his voice making Steve’s knees buckle. Trying to elicit more sounds like that from Tony, Steve pulled him harder against him, all while nibbling along Tony’s neck.

“ _Steve,”_ Tony managed to groan, thrusting eagerly back against him. Not allowing himself to lose all control, Tony swept his hands down Steve’s chest, his fingernails raking lightly over Steve’s still covered nipples.

This time it was Steve who gasped, lips faltering against Tony’s beard. Noticing that the elevator had reached its destination, Steve, still carrying Tony, pulled him out of the elevator and into Tony’s suite.

Not wasting any time, Steve gently lowered Tony to the bed, his lips not far behind. Steve could get lost in those lips forever; how Tony was always so playful, but so fierce, as if he and Steve were fighting for dominance with their deep kisses.

Steve broke away as he felt Tony’s hands try to undo his belt. “Let me,” Steve whispered against his lips. Tony must have taken that as permission for himself as well, for he started to shred the rest of his clothing.

Steve instantly locked on to Tony’s tanned skin, his hands running down Tony’s sides, completely their own investigation once they were free. Steve looked down at Tony’s chest, fit with slim but firm muscles. Scarring from his past arc reactor remained, as well as the ones from their latest incursion. The scars spread over Tony’s middle, his marks of bravery and heroism twining together as if to create an artistic masterpiece. _Beautiful._

Glancing back up, Steve could see the small drop of doubt in Tony’s eyes, like he was waiting for Steve to turn away in disgust. Steve immediately bent down, kissing Tony’s scars, tongue tracing each one. He felt Tony arch into him, head thrown back and mouth gasping for air.

Once he leaned back up, Tony pounced, flipping Steve over until Tony straddled him. Unlike Tony, Steve’s chest was unscarred, a perfect blank canvas, just asking to be marked. Returning the favor, Tony started at the neck, peppering open mouth kisses and light nips, discovering which parts made Steve gasp. His gasps turned into a strangled moan when Tony licked at a nipple, swirling his tongue around it a few times, adding a hint of teeth. Steve’s voice cried out louder when Tony continued the same sweet torture on the other.

Tony grinned up at Steve mischievously, winking before pulling off Steve’s boxers. _Holy shit._ Tony, never the humble man, had always been proud of what he had going on downstairs. But nothing could compare to Steve’s. Steve’s cock was monstrous; the thick long muscle stood at full attention, nestled in a tussle of blond curly hair.

Tony licked his lips, mouth watering, before bending down to kiss the tip. Not waiting for a reaction, Tony moved farther down and licked the entire length. Tony felt Steve spasm beneath him, hips moving on their own accord. Pleased with the response, Tony turned back to the tip, this time to take some of the cock into his mouth, sucking gently. “Oh god,” moaned Steve, his hand reacting immediately by threading through Tony’s hair.

Tony relaxed his jaw, trying to take in as much as Steve as possible. His hand wrapped around whatever his mouth couldn’t reach, stroking firmly. Tony hummed when he felt the twang of precome against his tongue, causing Steve to buck wildly beneath him. Tony started to suck harder, feeling Steve’s muscle push against the back of his throat.

“Tony, oh god, _please,_ I’m going to- ”

Tony gripped the base of Steve’s cock, bringing his lips back up to Steve. “Not letting you off that easy, babe.”

“I’d be insulted if you did,” Steve responded breathlessly. He hooked his leg over Tony’s twisting again until Tony lay beneath him. This time Steve ripped away Tony’s boxers, wasting no time with quick strokes to his hard cock.

Tony hands tightened into the bedsheets, thrusting into Steve’s hand. Steve leaned down to claim Tony’s mouth again, both men moaning wantonly as their cocks rubbed against each other.

Tony begged this time, whispering, “Please, Steve. I need you,” into his shoulder.

Steve moaned at the admission, eyes fluttering shut. He opened his eyes as he felt Tony push a small bottle of lube into his hands. He felt Tony start to turn over, but he stopped him. “No. I want to see you.”

Tony shuddered against him, letting Steve push him back down. Applying a generous amount of lube to his fingers, Steve added a quick “Relax,” against Tony’s ear, reveling in the way Tony went boneless around him.

Slowly, Steve pushed a finger into Tony’s tight hole, watching as Tony gasped beneath him. Making sure Tony wasn’t in pain, Steve began to push his finger in and out, letting Tony loosen around him. Soon he added a second finger, scissoring Tony open while peppering kisses along Tony’s neck and chest.

He felt Tony’s heart rate speed up, Steve’s ears picking up the small whimpers that left Tony’s mouth. He swallowed them up with his passionate kisses, distracting Tony enough to add a third finger. Steve was pressing harder into him, whispering sweet nothings into Tony’s ear. It wasn’t long before Tony began to push back against Steve’s fingers, moaning loudly, trying to get more. “ _Please,”_ Tony managed to gasp out, before it was cut off with a shout as Steve rubbed up against his prostate.

Steve removed his fingers, Tony groaning at the loss, his body clenching around nothing. Steve looked around for a condom, but Tony stopped him. “I want to feel you,” he panted. Brain shorting out, Steve began to lube up his cock.

Steve lined up against Tony, only to stop and look down. Tony was panting below him, gazing back up at Steve, eyes glazed over in pure lust. Tony was utterly debauched; his body was covered in love marks left by Steve, his cock flushed red, precome dripping onto his lower abdomen. _I almost lost him._ Steve leaned down, kissing Tony soundly. _Never again._

With that, Steve pushed in, slowly being surrounded by Tony’s heat. Steve continued to kiss Tony, swallowing his tiny gasps, until Steve was fully seated in him. Steve had to stop himself from coming right then, burying his face into the crook of Tony’s neck. He felt Tony trail his hands over Steve’s back before threading through his hair, tugging gently.

Taking that as a go ahead, Steve began to move, thrusting gently into Tony. With each thrust, Steve placed another searing kiss on Tony’s body, watching in awe as Tony arched into each one. The bedroom was soon filled with sounds of skin slapping and desperate moans.

Steve felt himself losing control, his thrusts becoming erratic. He pulled Tony flush against his chest, the new angle hitting Tony’s sweet spot with each thrust. Tony threw his head back and howled, pushing back to meet Steve frantically.

Steve pushed his face into Tony’s shoulder, hearing Tony gasp “Yes, yes, yes,” into Steve’s ear. It took time for Steve to realize it was because he was muttering “Mine, mine,” against Tony’s skin. Their harsh voices proved how quickly it would be over.

Tony grasped the sides of Steve’s face, forcing their eyes to meet. “ _I’m yours,”_ Tony whispered against Steve’s mouth. Tony’s words sent Steve crashing over the edge, his vision going white. He continued to move while he snaked a hand in between their bodies, fisting at Tony’s cock. Tony screamed and came, clenching around Steve, sending more shocks of pleasure down Steve’s body.

They collapsed against each other, breathing heavily. Steve pulled out gently, feeling Tony shudder, whimpering slightly. They entwined their limbs together, exchanging more sweet kisses. “I love you,” Tony murmured into Steve’s chest.

Steve wrapped his arms around Tony tightly, nosing at his forehead. “I love you too.” 

 ----------------------------------

Light bled into Tony’s bedroom, causing the engineer to wake. Tony grumbled, pushing his face farther into the solid chest next to him. He heard Steve chuckle at him, feeling the vibrations against his forehead.

In protest, Tony peeled away from Steve, effectively trapping himself within the sheets. Finally opening his eyes, he saw Steve, blue eyes crinkled in amusement, biting his lip to keep from laughing.

Tony rolled his eyes. “Laughing at the struggles of the innocent? What kind of superhero are you?”

Steve grinned, pulling Tony back on top of him. “I’m off duty,” he mused, kissing Tony’s complaints away.

Tony kissed back deeply, stretching out on top of Steve’s body. “Ready to pick up where we left off, soldier?”

Steve huffed, opting to kiss the life out of Tony instead of answering. Their lazy morning kisses picked up with fervor, the air around them thickening with lust and need.

“Excuse me, sirs?”

Tony groaned against Steve. “FRIDAY, daddy’s trying to get some. You are definitely not helping.”

“Forgive me, Sir, but there is a Mrs. Barton to see you.”

Steve sighed and pulled away from Tony.

“Wha- oh come on Steve, five more minutes!”

Steve turned back to give one more playful nip to Tony. “Sorry, soldier. I’m on duty,” he said with a wink. Tony groaned in exasperation before following. “Besides, Laura could be in trouble.”

Tony rolled his eyes again. “Oh, please. She probably caught Clint making crop circles with the quinjet again.”

Quickly dressing, the two exited the suite, and took the elevator to the common floor. Laura Barton stood pacing in the living area. When she saw Steve and Tony, she froze. “It’s true, you’re back.”

Exchanging confused glances, Steve answered, “Back? From where?”

“The mission. The one you sent Clint on?”

Tony took a step forward. “Well yea, we’ve been back for almost a month. Why?”

Laura’s eyes widened, her mouth opening but not able to from words.

“Laura,” Tony continued. “Where’s Clint?”

A tear slipped down her cheek as she choked out, “I – I don’t know.” 

\----------------------------------

_Clint Barton ran through the forest, watery eyes leading him into tree stumps and fallen branches. Looking down at his hands he could still see the blood he’d already scrubbed off his hands. Their blood._

_Clint had chased after Steve only to find him screaming over a silent Tony. The medical team was there, so Clint rushed to pull Steve away from his love only to get an elbow in the face and a kick to the gut._

_*I’ve killed them.*_

_Clint had let Tony die on his watch. He had killed Tony. And by killing Tony, He had killed Steve. Captain America and Iron Man were no more. And it was Clint’s fault._

_He had been running for hours. Away from Steve’s subdued tear streaked face. Away from Tony’s body being loaded into the quinjet. Away from his team’s questions and pleas. Away from his life. Away from his sins._

_Another trip sent him stumbling to the ground. Turning around to look at his obstruction, Clint found himself surrounded by the dead soldiers he had killed. *I’m back at the campground.* Looking around, Clint felt tears fall down his face again, imagining how Tony might be alive now if he hadn’t wasted so much precious time here. If he had been faster. If he had been stronger. If he had been better._

_*If.*_

_Clint walked over to the camp, searching all of the tents, until he found a correspondence tent. He strode over to the desk, reading the packet left there._

_Operation Brimstone._

_Clint flipped through it quickly until he found a tabbed page._

_4\. Finnegan Thorpe_

_It was a file on The Suit._

_Looking at the rest of the packet, Clint found eight other names. Thorpe’s plan was only part of a larger picture. *He wasn’t working alone.*_

_Clint stuffed the packet into his pockets, retreating from the tent. He looked around last time, and thought of his family. He couldn’t go home and face Laura or the kids, knowing what he had done. *The Avengers probably want my head.*_

_Mind made up, Clint picked up his pack again and chose a direction. The rest of the operation was still out there. They would be gunning for the Avengers once they learned what happened to Thorpe. Clint would be ready for them. *I won’t fail them again.* He couldn’t save Tony, but that didn’t mean Clint wouldn’t protect the family he had left until his dying breath. He would end this._

_*This is my penance.*_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. Umm. Tada? *Inset jazz hands here*  
> Congrats, we made it!
> 
> Sorry. I lied about the whole 20 chapters thing. Oops. But then again, I also lied when I thought that this was only going to be 2 chapters. Ah, how I've grown. 
> 
> I was writing the last of this story, and I kind of didn't like that it was ending. So why should it, right?  
> So Merry early Christmas, from me to you. I'm making it into a series! 
> 
> I'm not really sure where the next story will lead us, but that's part of the fun I guess. Like I said before, this is my first fic. I'm still pretty new to Ao3, and there is still a bunch of other stuff I want to try. I'm already working on an AU Steve/Tony, and I'm looking into some one-shot ideas. I'm still kind of blundering around, trying to get my bearings, so if you have any ideas, comments, questions, anything, please inbox me! I also have a tumblr handle: http://just-another-tinker.tumblr.com/
> 
> Thank you so much for following along on this story, I hoped the conclusion lived up to your expectations! You guys made this story so much to write, I can't wait to write more for you all.
> 
> Peace out.


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